Withania coagulans (W. coagulans) is well-known in herbal medicinal systems for its high biological potential. Different parts of the plant are used against insomnia, liver complications, asthma, and biliousness, as well as it is reported to be sedative, emetic, diuretic, antidiabetic antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antihyperglycemic, cardiovascular, immuno-suppressive and central nervous system depressant. Withanolides present in W. coagulans have attracted an immense interest in the scientific field due to their diverse therapeutic applications. The current study deals with chemical and biological evaluation of chloroform, and n-butanol fractions of W. coagulans. The activity-guided fractionation of both extracts via multiple chromatographic steps and structure elucidation of pure isolates using spectroscopies (NMR, mass spectrometry, FTIR and UV-Vis) led to the identification of a new withanolide glycoside, withacogulanoside-B (1) from n-butanol extract and five known withanolides from chloroform extract [withanolid J (2), coagulin E (3), withaperuvin C (4), 27-hydroxywithanolide I (5), and ajugin E (6)]. Among the tested compounds, compound 5 was the most potent α-glucosidase inhibitor with IC₅₀ = 66.7 ± 3.6 µM, followed by compound 4 (IC₅₀: 407 ± 4.5 µM) and compound 2 (IC₅₀: 683 ± 0.94 µM), while no antiglycation activity was observed with the six isolated compounds. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding potential and binding site interactions of these compounds as α-glucosidase inhibitors. Consequently, this study provides basis to discover specific antidiabetic compounds from W. coagulans.

Recently, biosynthesized nanoparticles (NPs) have played a vital role as an alternative to physical and chemical methods. Here, a distinctive bioinspired synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) has been introduced using leaf extracts of Withania coagulans as the reducing agent by using distilled water and methanol. The synthesized catalysts were analyzed through ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction for NP synthesis, morphology, functional group, elemental composition, and peak crystallinity analysis. The phytochemical analysis of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), total flavonoid content, total alkaloid content, and total phenolic content of the crude methanolic extract of the plant was also performed, suggesting the greatest potential as the supporting material for ZnO NPs. The NPs were investigated for their catalytic efficiency in the degradation of dyes (rhodamine B dye) and against important human food-borne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli). ZnO NPs exhibited a strong catalytic activity in the degradation of dyes and against bacteria. The results also showed an enhanced activity of ZnO NPs of methanolic extract (ZnO-M) composites compared to zinc oxide of distilled water (ZnO-D). The % age degradation of the dye, K_app, and linear relationship were obtained from pseudo-first-order kinetics. The highest reduction rate in 30 and 60 min was observed under sunlight by ZnO-M and ZnO-D, respectively. The rate constant K_app for the reduction of the dye was 13.6 × 10^-1 min^-1 and 6.8 × 10^-1 min^-1, respectively (numerical values). For ZnO-M, ln(K_app) ≈ 0.309. For ZnO-D, ln(K_app) ≈ -0.385. These rate constants represent the degradation of the dye in the presence of ZnO-M and ZnO-D catalysts. In addition, NPs were found to be most active against S. aureus (18 mm in the case of ZnO-M and 15 mm in the case of ZnO-D) than P. aeruginosa and E. coli. The results suggested that the prepared ZnO NPs could be used in pharmaceutical industries as well as photocatalysts. ZnO-M had greater control over particle size and morphology, potentially resulting in smaller, more uniform NPs. ZnO-D achieved fine size control but not potentially better than that compared to organic solvents.

This study investigated the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the medicinal plant Asplenium dalhousiae focusing on its bioactive chemical constituents as natural reducing agents. Aqueous, chloroform, and n-hexane extracts of the plant leaves were utilized in the nanoparticle synthesis process. The synthesized AgNPs were confirmed through UV-visible spectroscopy, showing absorption peaks at approximately 420 nm, 443 nm, and 439 nm. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to recognize the functional groups in the plant extracts responsible for facilitating the reduction process. The morphological and structural characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). These analyses revealed that the nanoparticles synthesized using the Aqueous, chloroform, and n-hexane extracts were predominantly spherical silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with a crystalline structure and an average diameter of 46.98 ± 12.45 nm, as determined by SEM. The antibacterial efficacy of the synthesized AgNPs was evaluated against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a concentration of 30 μg/ml. Among the tested nanoparticles, the AgNPs synthesized from the n-hexane extract exhibited the highest antibacterial activity, with zones of inhibition measuring 20.0 ± 1.8 mm for E. coli, 19.0 ± 1.2 mm for B. subtilis, and 19.5 ± 1.4 mm for P. aeruginosa. Additionally, the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Asplenium dalhousiae demonstrated significant α-amylase inhibition, with 85.04% inhibition at 500 µg/ml, compared to Acarbose (90.84%) and the leaf extract (78.65%). The antioxidant activity of the synthesized AgNPs was assessed using the DPPH method, which confirmed their significant antioxidant properties alongside their antibacterial activity. The aqueous and n-hexane silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) showed strong cytotoxic activity with low IC₅₀ values, particularly in A2780 cells (15.76 µg/ml and 9.11 µg/ml, respectively), while the plant methanolic extract and CHCl₃ AgNPs exhibited much higher IC₅₀ values, indicating moderate to low activity. This study highlights the potential of AgNPs in handling anticancer, α-amylase, and antibacterial infections. By assimilating natural products with nanotechnology, it deals an inventive approach to developing targeted, eco-friendly therapies, paving the way for cutting-edge biomedical applications and improved treatment outcomes.

Members of genus Pteris have their established role in the traditional herbal medicine system. In the pursuit to identify its biologically active constituents, the specie Pteris cretica L. (P. cretica) was selected for the bioassay-guided isolation. Two new maleates (F9 and CB18) were identified from the chloroform extract and the structures of the isolates were elucidated through their spectroscopic data. The putative targets, that potentially interact with both of these isolates, were identified through reverse docking by using in silico tools PharmMapper and ReverseScreen3D. On the basis of reverse docking results, both isolates were screened for their antioxidant, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, α-glucosidase (GluE) inhibition and antibacterial activities. Both isolates depicted moderate potential for the selected activities. Furthermore, docking studies of both isolates were also studied to investigate the binding mode with respective targets followed by molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energies. Thereby, the current study embodies the poly-pharmacological potential of P. cretica.

Withania coagulans Dunal is a medicinal plant with potential therapeutic applications in neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders.