Abstract
Acute appendicitis is commonly treated by appendectomy, which may be costly, risky, or unsuitable for some patients. Anecdotal reports suggest that Anthocleista djalonensis is a traditional, cost-effective remedy for this inflammatory condition, yet potential underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and computational approaches to characterize the stem bark extract of A. djalonensis and explore its mechanistic relevance to acute appendicitis. GC-MS analysis identified methyl palmitate, methyl oleate, methyl stearate, and palmitoleic acid in the volatile oil of the stem bark. These compounds, together with phytoconstituents retrieved from the literature and public databases, were subsequently screened using established oral bioavailability and drug-likeness criteria to determine their inclusion in network pharmacology analysis. Network and functional enrichment analyses suggest that A. djalonensis bioactive compounds, including quercetin, resveratrol, pentadecanoic, palmitoleic, and caffeic acids, may exert multi-target regulation of inflammatory and metabolic pathways. These pathways include PI3K/Akt, HIF-1, endocrine resistance, and EGFR signaling, involving AKT1, GAPDH, TNF, and EGFR, among other core targets. Despite limitations inherent in computational prediction and limited experimental validation, these findings offer valuable insights to advance understanding of A. djalonensis's ethnomedicinal use in treating acute appendicitis.