In-silico investigation of the antischizophrenic activity of phytochemical constituents of Hymenocardia acida Tul. (Phyllantaceae)

Hymenocardia acida is a medicinal plant used in the treatment of schizophrenia. Previous studies have shown that H. acida possessed anti-schizophrenic activity in vivo. This plant was reported to contain several phytochemical constituents, and the pharmacological activities of the plant might be related to its phytochemical constituents. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the in-silico anti-schizophrenic activity of the phytochemical compounds of H.acida. The phytochemical constituents of H.acida were examined for their anti-schizophrenic activity using in-silico molecular docking studies. Sixteen compounds were docked against three receptors namely, D1 dopamine receptor (PDB I.D 7JOZ), D2 dopamine receptor (PDB I.D 6CM4), and serotonin receptor 5HT1A (PDB I.D 7E2Y). The results obtained from molecular docking studies proved that phytochemical compounds present in H. acida have adequate affinity for both dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors. Therefore, this study demonstrates that H. acida possesses antipsychotic properties, which may be attributed to its phytochemical compounds due to their strong binding affinity to the respective dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors.