Family Malvaceae: a Potential Source of Secondary Metabolites with Chemopreventive and Anticancer Activities Supported with Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Profiles

Introduction: Cancer is the second most widespread cause of mortality following cardiovascular disorders, and it imposes a heavy global burden. Nowadays, herbal nutraceutical products with a plethora of bioactive metabolites represent a foundation stone for the development of promising chemopreventive and anticancer agents. Certain members of the family Malvaceae have traditionally been employed to relieve tumors. The literature concerning the chemopreventive and anticancer effects of the plant species along with the isolated cytotoxic phytometabolites was reviewed. Based on the findings, comprehensive computational modelling studies were performed to explore the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of the reported cytotoxic metabolites to present basis for future plant-based anticancer drug discovery.

Methods: All the available information about the anticancer research in family Malvaceae and its cytotoxic phytometabolites were retrieved from official sources. Extensive search was carried out using the keywords Malvaceae, cancer, cytotoxicity, mechanism and signalling pathway. Pharmacokinetic study was performed on the cytotoxic metabolites using SWISS ADME model. Acute oral toxicity expressed as median lethal dose (LD) was predicted using Pro Tox 3.0 web tool. The compounds were docked using AutoDock Vina platform against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR kinase enzyme) obtained from the Protein Data Bank. Molecular dynamic simulations and MMGBSA calculations were performed using GROMACS 2024.2 and gmx_MMPBSA tool v1.5.2.

Results: One hundred forty-five articles were eligible in the study. Several tested compounds showed safe pharmacokinetic properties. Also, the molecular docking study showed that the bioactive metabolites possessed agreeable binding affinities to EGFR kinase enzyme. Tiliroside (25), boehmenan (30), boehmenan H (31), and isoquercetin (22) elicited the highest binding affinity toward the enzyme with a score of -10.4, -10.4, -10.2 and -10.1 Kcal/mol compared to the reference drug erlotinib having a binding score equal to -9 Kcal/mol. Additionally, compounds 25 and 31 elicited binding free energies equal to -42.17 and -42.68 Kcal/mol, respectively, comparable to erlotinib.

Discussion: Overall, the current study presents helpful insights into the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the reported cytotoxic metabolites belonging to family Malvaceae members. The molecular docking and dynamic simulations results intensify the roles of secondary metabolites from medicinal plants in fighting cancer.