Study of drug-like characteristics of bioactive compounds identified from Dicranella pseudosubulata Mull. Hal. ex Gangulee

Dicranella pseudosubulata Mull Hal. ex Gangulee is a moss species and a member of the Dicranaceae family, which is known to harbour many secondary metabolites of therapeutic importance. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the methanolic extract of D. pseudosubulata was obtained to determine the metabolites of the moss. The chromatogram revealed 48 compounds, of which four compounds showed the highest concentrations, constituting 73.86% of all the bioactive chemicals detected. The compound d-Glucitol, 1-O-heptyl- showed the highest area percentage of 45.70 per cent. Other compounds with high concentrations are 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-, TMS derivative (13.35%); Palmitic acid, TMS derivative (9.46%) and Butanoic acid, 4-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]-, trimethylsilyl ester (5.35%). These metabolites were then examined for their drug-like characteristics using SwissADME and predicted for potential target proteins using SwissTargetPrediction tools. Molecular docking analyses with the most probable targets of d-Glucitol, 1-O-heptyl-;9,12-octadecadienoic acid; Palmitic acid, TMS derivative and Butanoic acid, 4-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]-, trimethylsilyl ester with Beta-glucocerebrosidase (GBA), Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) and Thymidylate synthase (TYMS), respectively, showed thermodynamically favourable bindings. The target proteins have been reported to be associated with various ailments and their inhibition by these compounds is necessary to control and maintain cell growth in several cancers as well as in treating malaria and leishmania, obesity, lipidosis, kidney necrosis, liver carcinoma, insulin resistance etc. Some of the compounds have been reported to exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective activities. Thus, the finding suggests that D. pseudosubulata could serve as a potential therapeutic drug against various diseases.