In vitro inhibitory effect of Boeserngin A on human acetylcholinerase: understanding its potential using in silico ADMET studies

Boesenbergia rotunda is a medicinal plant that used traditionally in South East Asia as a healing for various ailments including neurological disorders. Therefore, this research was designed to describe the biological evaluation pertaining to anti-human cholinesterase (hAChE) activities, molecular docking and in silico prediction of Boesenbergin A (BA), a natural chalcone isolated from B. rotunda. The anti-hAChE activity of BA was evaluated using acetylthiocholine as a substrate and 5,5-dithiobis[2-nitrobenzoic acid] (DTNB) as chromogen. Docking study with flexible boesenbergin A was done using Autodock 4.2 software and A Lamarkian Genetic Algorithm search method. ADME/Tox analysis was also performed using ADMET Descriptors software. The inhibitory activities of BA and the standard drugs tacrin and propidium iodide on human acetylcholinesterase are 70.1±5.43, 76.6±5.11 and 28.2±2.47, respectively. Molecular docking investigation showed that BA occupies the active site of hAChE and this strongly suggests that it acts as a competitive inhibitor and ultimately reduces the activity of the enzyme. BA also exhibited good ADMET properties indicating capacity for further studies towards developing this compound into a potent drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The present study extends the understanding on the molecular mechanism underlying the diverse biological activities of Boesenbergia rotunda.