Exploring Moroccan Medicinal Plants for Anticancer Therapy Development Through In Silico Studies

Overview

Journal Pharmaceuticals (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Chemistry

Date 2024 Nov 27

PMID 39598438

Authors

Amal Bouribab

El Mehdi Karim

Meriem Khedraoui

Oussama Abchir

Abdelkbir Errougui

Yasir S Raouf

Abdelouahid Samadi

Samir Chtita

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Angiogenesis is a crucial process in the growth and proliferation of cancer, enabling tumor growth through the formation of new vasculature and the supply of nutrients and oxygen to growing malignant cells. This disease-promoting process can be targeted through the inhibition of tyrosine kinase enzymes.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the anticancer potential of various Moroccan plants from different regions. While these plants have a rich history of traditional medicinal use, they have not been extensively investigated as anticancer therapies.

Methods: This study employed a multifaceted approach to evaluate the anticancer potential of various Moroccan plants. Receptor-ligand docking and virtual screening were used to assess the binding affinity of phytocompounds to the EGFR and VEGFR2 receptors. Additionally, predictive pharmacokinetic analyses were conducted to evaluate the ADMET properties of the selected compounds, followed by molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the stability of the receptor-ligand complexes.

Results: In our research, we identified three notable active compounds-catechin, 4--glucoside ferulic acid, and 3-glucoside resveratrol-in the Moroccan plant L. These findings suggest that L. may possess significant potential for cancer inhibition.

Conclusions: This research highlights the potential of the Moroccan plant L. as a source of active compounds with significant anticancer properties. Further investigation is essential to validate these findings and explore new therapeutic avenues based on these traditional resources.

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