Title:Evaluating the Potential of Adathoda vasica against Respiratory Infection
caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae
Volume: 2
Issue: 5
Author(s): Sharly Elgal Nirmal Kumar, John Marshal Jayaraj, Karthikeyan Muthusamy, Jasmine Ranjan Samuel*Gopinath Krishnasamy*
Affiliation:
- Department of Biotechnology, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli 17, Tamil Nadu, India
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, University
of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, Turku 20520, Finland
Keywords:
Adathoda vasica, phytochemical, CFU, COVID-19, Klebsiella pneumoniae, molecular docking.
Abstract:
Background: Adathoda vasica is the most well-known medicinal herb to treat respiratory
conditions. The leaves of Adathoda vasica have been found to exert a stimulant effect on the respiratory
system. Adathoda vasica leaves contain rich content of alkaloids that contribute to most of
the pharmacological activity.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Adathoda vasica extract against the
respiratory pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae in vivo and an animal model.
Methods: The effectiveness of the A. vasica extracts to inhibit the chief respiratory pathogen, K.
pneumoniae, in vivo using CFU assay was carried out in animal models. The bioactive compounds
were screened through GC-MS and were docked with FIMG protein and COVID-19 proteins to assess
the efficacy of the compounds against respiratory infection.
Results: The result revealed A. vasica as an effective herb against respiratory infection. The ethanol
extract of A. vasica was subjected to GC-MS analysis. Based on the percentage of peak area, three
compounds were chosen for docking analysis for FIMG and SARS-CoV-2 proteins, which revealed
higher binding affinity and interacted with the residues. The greater ZOI by disc diffusion assay and
reduced CFU in plant-treated rat lung tissues confirmed the antibacterial potential of A. vasica
against K. pneumoniae.
Conclusion: The bioactive compounds of A. vasica leaves could be promising candidates to treat
respiratory infections caused by K. pneumoniae.
