Therapeutic Efficacy and Molecular Docking Analysis of Plant Extracts Against Urinary Tract Infection Pathogens

Plants contain numerous bioactive constituents that make them collectively very important and useful; the vast application of herbs brought many questions concerning their quality, safety, and effectiveness. The present study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of Tinospora cordifolia, Annona squamosa, and Punica granatum using petroleum ether, methanol, and chloroform extracts. For this purpose, 25 microbial samples isolated from different sources have been utilized. Antibacterial activity was measured by the agar well diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration. The methanol extract of all three plants was equally effective against Urinary Tract Infection causing pathogens. The plant extracts of Annona squamosa was found to be effective in our anti-microbial and anti-fungal assays exhibiting the maximum zone of inhibition among the plants taken. To move further, molecular interaction analysis is crucial for structure-based drug design as it predicts the binding of proteins and ligands. An insilico approach was employed to investigate the molecular interactions of six plant compounds with Ibestrophin, a pathogenic protein found in Klebsiella pneumoniae that causes UTI. Annona squamosa plant extract offers a natural alternative to conventional antimicrobial therapy for controlling UTI ailments, reducing health hazards and drug resistance.