Unravelling the antianxiety activity of various fractions of aerial parts of <i>Salvia moorcroftiana</i> Wall. Ex Benth., by <i>in vivo</i> implicated through computational studies

There has been increasing interest in biologically active plant extracts. Studies continue to discover novel components, especially those with anti-anxiety activities. The present study investigates the anxiolytic activity of <i>Salvia moorcroftiana</i> Wall. ex Benth. aerial parts through both <i>in vivo</i> and <i>in silico</i> studies. Aerial parts of the experimental plant were extracted using a hydroalcoholic solvent and fractionated with various organic solvents of differing polarities, including hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The chemical compositions were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). <i>In vivo</i> anti-anxiety activity was tested on various Swiss albino mice models. Results indicate that all fractions of <i>S. moorcroftiana</i> exhibited significant anxiolytic effects, with the butanol fraction displaying the highest efficacy. Molecular docking analysis suggested that some of the compounds could target anxiety disorder proteins. ADME/T calculations were performed to examine the effects of <i>S. moorcroftiana</i> extracts on human metabolism. Therefore, the present study establishes the significant anti-anxiety activity of <i>S. moorcroftiana</i> aerial parts, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent for various anxiety disorders.