Green Synthesis of MgO Nanoparticles from Annona muricata Plant as a Therapeutic Aid
- 2 minsBangalore, India 2023
This project was a part of my undergraduate thesis at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering with my wonderful coursemates and co-authors Akanksha Hegde and Viola Monteiro under the guidance of my professor Dr. Shashank Tidke
Annona muricata, commonly known as soursop or graviola, is a tropical plant with potential health benefits. This study aimed to investigate the anti-cancer and anti-microbial potential of the plant extract using both in-silico and in-vitro approaches.
Introduction
- Annona muricata (soursop) is a tropical plant with potential health benefits. Conventional cancer treatments can have severe side effects.
- Nanotechnology offers promising solutions for drug delivery and treatments.
- Plant extracts have been explored as alternatives to conventional antibiotics due to the rise of antibiotic resistance.
Objectives
- Identify potential lead molecules in Annona muricata through an in-silico approach (computer simulations).
- Evaluate the anti-cancer and anti-microbial potential of the plant extract using in-vitro methods (laboratory experiments).
Methodology
In-silico Approach:
Molecular docking was used to predict the interaction of plant compounds with potential anti-cancer and anti-microbial targets.
In-vitro Approach:
- The methanolic extract of Annona muricata leaves was prepared using the Soxhlet extraction method.
- The total phenolic and flavonoid content of the extract was estimated . Phytochemical profiling was performed using GC-MS to identify the bioactive compounds present.
- The cytotoxic activity of the extract against a cancer cell line (KB cells) was assessed using the MTT assay.
- Green synthesis of MgO nanoparticles (Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles) was achieved using the Annona muricata leaf extract.
- The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy.
- The anti-bacterial potential of the MgO nanoparticles was investigated against various bacterial strains.
Results and Discussion
- The in-silico studies identified potential lead molecules in the plant extract with promising anti-cancer and anti-microbial properties.
- The in-vitro studies confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds in the extract, including phenolics and flavonoids.
- The extract exhibited cytotoxic activity against cancer cells.
- The green-synthesized MgO nanoparticles showed potential anti-bacterial activity.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates the potential of Annona muricata as a source of natural bioactive compounds with anti-cancer and anti-microbial properties. Green synthesis of MgO nanoparticles using the plant extract offers a promising approach for developing novel antibacterial agents.
My role in this project
I played a pivotal role in the bioinformatics analysis of this project. I employed tools such as Autodock Vina and iGEMdock to conduct molecular docking simulations, predicting the interactions between the identified lead compounds from Annona muricata and potential target proteins. Additionally, I utilized Biovia Discovery Studio for visual analysis, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the binding interactions and conformational changes induced by these compounds and I also performed ADMET analysis of the potential lead molecule structures using the Swiss-ADME tool.
Srikanth Srinivas
Bioinformatics graduate student at University of Bristol | Former Bioinformatics Intern at Global Health Research Unit, CRL, KIMS