The antidiarrhoeal effect of the water extract of Melastoma malabathricum Linn. (Melastomataceae) leaves were investigated by employing four experimental models of diarrhea in Swiss mice. Melastoma malabathricum water extract treated mice showed significant reduction in the fecal output and protected them from castor oil-induced diarrhoea. The extract also reduced the intestinal fluid secretion induced by magnesium sulphate and gastrointestinal motility after charcoal meal administration in the mice. No mortality and visible signs of general weakness was observed in the mice following the test extract administration up to 2000 mg/kg dose.
Medicinal plants as rich sources of bioactive compounds are now being explored for drug development against COVID-19. 19 medicinal plants known to exhibit antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects were manually curated, procuring a library of 521 metabolites; this was virtually screened against NSP9, including some other viral and host targets and were evaluated for polypharmacological indications. Leads were identified via rigorous scoring thresholds and ADMET filtering. MM-GBSA calculation was deployed to select NSP9-Lead complexes and the complexes were evaluated for their stability and protein-ligand communication via MD simulation. We identified 5 phytochemical leads for NSP9, 23 for Furin, 18 for ORF3a, and 19 for IL-6. Ochnaflavone and Licoflavone B, obtained from Lonicera japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice), respectively, were identified to have the highest potential polypharmacological properties for the aforementioned targets and may act on multiple pathways simultaneously to inhibit viral entry, replication, and disease progression. Additionally, MD simulation supports the robust stability of Ochnaflavone and Licoflavone B against NSP9 at the active sites via hydrophobic interactions, H-bonding, and H-bonding facilitated by water. This study promotes the initiation of further experimental analysis of natural product-based anti-COVID-19 therapeutics.