Discovering the Potential Mechanisms of Canna indica Leaves Ethanolic Extract against Plasmodium falciparum Malaria: Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approach

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites and transmitted by Anopheles female mosquito. Plasmodium falciparum, one of the most common and deadliest species, accounting for more than 99% cases of malaria-associated deaths globally. Several therapy strategies which often involves quinolones and artemisin derivatives have been used. However, new challenge arises due to the exceptional adaptability of P.falciparum towards antimalarial drugs that leads to the failure of malaria therapy. This study investigates the antimalarial potential of Canna indica leaves ethanolic extract against Plasmodium falciparum using network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches. A total of 57 phytoconstituents were identified in the ethanolic extract of C. indica and were screened for pharmacokinetic properties, resulting in 46 eligible compounds for further analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and pathway analyses identified key targets, including acetylcholinesterase (AChE), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), prostaglandin-endoperoxidase synthase (PTGS2), coagulation factor X (F10), and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). Molecular docking results demonstrated significant binding affinities of C. indica compounds with the target proteins, including AChE, SHBG, PTGS2, F10, and SHBG along with the lowest binding affinity values of -9.2 kcal/mol, -8.6 kcal/mol, -7.8 kcal/mol, -7.7 kcal/mol, and -10.6 kcal/mol respectively. This finding suggests that C. indica possesses bioactive compounds that could serve as candidates for novel antimalarial therapeutics.