In Vivo Anti‐Rheumatoid, Anti‐Inflammatory, and Analgesic Activities of <i>Myristica fragrans</i> Houtt With Docking Molecular Targeting TLR‐4 and HTRA‐1

ABSTRACT Nutmeg might be a viable option for developing rheumatoid arthritis treatment due to its concentration of secondary compounds metabolites. This study aims to identify the chemical components of nutmeg leaf extract and evaluate its potential for anti‐rheumatoid arthritis, anti‐inflammatory, and analgesic effects using both in vivo and in silico methods. The chemical components of the extract were analyzed using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Pharmacological activities were evaluated in vivo on experimental animals. The treatment group was divided into three different extract concentrations compared to the control groups. Affinity was further evaluated utilizing an AutoDock Vina software on the TLR‐4 and HTRA‐1 receptors. GC‐MS analysis revealed that the ethanol extract of nutmeg leaves contained 81 chemical components. The main components were myristicin, betulin, methoxyeugenol, thunbergol, and phenolic compounds. In vivo evaluation indicated that the extract of 600 mg/kg body weight showed no significant difference from the positive controls of methyl prednisolone, sodium diclofenac, and ibuprofen in terms of anti‐rheumatoid arthritis, anti‐inflammatory, and analgesic, respectively. Molecular docking showed that the methoxyphenol has the best binding affinity among the selected compounds analyzed. The evaluation of the extract exhibited very promising results in the development of new natural resources for anti‐rheumatoid arthritis.