Abstract
Arenga porphyrocarpa palm tree roots and buds are used to treat urinary incontinence, fever, appetite loss, and as a diuretic. Our study aimed to evaluate the neuropharmacological, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and thrombolytic potentials of A. porphyrocarpa leaf and stem extracts through in vivo, in vitro and in silico studies. Different fractions of A. porphyrocarpa leaves and stems were investigated for anxiolytic and anti-depressant efficacy through EPM and HBT and TST and FST tests. The anti-oxidant assessment was assessed by using DPPH and reducing power assays, while thrombolytic efficacy was analyzed by clot lysis technique. Computational methods like in silico molecular docking, pass prediction and ADME/T were applied to evaluate several pharmacological properties of 15 selected compounds from GC-MS analysis of plant extract. Both doses of the plant extract fractions (200 and 400 mg/kg) showed dose-dependent anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects in mice, with the 400 mg/kg dose found to have highly significant (p < 0.001) effects. Among the fractions, the chloroform fraction of A. porphyrocarpa leaves (CFAPL) exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, as indicated by its DPPH scavenging potential (IC₅₀ = 128.94 μg/mL), and also demonstrated the most effective clot lysis. In silico analysis further revealed that several bioactive compounds had strong binding affinities to target proteins, including isobutyric acid 2,2,2-trichloroethyl ester (anxiolytic activity), 2-cyclobutene-1-carboxamide (antidepressant activity), 2-pyridinecarboxylic acid (antioxidant activity), propionic acid 3-(isobutylthio)- (cytotoxic), and 2-propanone 1-hydroxy- (thrombolytic activity). Ongoing investigations indicate that A. porphyrocarpa is a promising candidate for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular disorders; however, further cytotoxicity studies and confirmation of the specific bioactive compounds responsible for its biological activities are needed.