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Wound healing potential of Narcissus pseudonarcissus L. bulbs supported with chemical and molecular docking investigations

Research Authors
John Refaat Fahim Youstina Refaat Boshra, Yaser A. Mostafa, Ashraf Nageeb Elsayed Hamed, Samar Yehia Desoukey
Research Date
Research Journal
South African Journal of Botany
Research Website
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0254629923002156
Research Year
2023
Research Abstract

Narcissus plants have long been recognized as a source of natural cosmetics and skincare botanicals since ancient times. Among them, Narcissus pseudonarcissus L. was commonly used for a plethora of skin disorders, e.g. abscesses, sores, burns, bruising, freckles, and wounds; however, no previous scientific reports have deliberated its wound curative properties. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the wound healing potential of the total extract of N. pseudonarcissus bulbs and its derived fractions (I‒IV) on normal lung fibroblast (WI-38) cells using the wound scratch assay. Firstly, the possible cytotoxic effects of N. pseudonarcissus total ethanol extract and fractions towards WI-38 cells were examined using the MTT assay and the most appropriate concentrations (either non-toxic or showing the least toxicity) were selected for the wound healing assay accordingly. Overall, WI-38 cells treated with 31.25 and 62.50 μg/mL of the petroleum ether fraction (I) exhibited both negligible cytotoxicity (IC50= 1207.96 μg/mL) and the highest wound closure and migration rates after 24 and 48 h compared to either the untreated control cells as well as those treated with the other fractions. Additionally, phytochemical analysis of fraction (I) led to the isolation of varied metabolites, e.g. hydrocarbons, monoglycerides, pyrrolidines, and steroids that were first described herein in either the genus Narcissus or the family Amaryllidaceae. Finally, molecular docking analysis of the identified metabolites revealed their possible interaction with a group of enzymes that affect different stages of wound healing, particularly steroidal metabolites, of which sitosterol 3-O-β-glucopyranoside-6ꞌ-O-hexadecanoate (7) showed noteworthy binding affinities to TGF-β, GSK-3, TNF-α, and IL-1β proteins. These findings could therefore endorse the traditional use of N. pseudonarcissus for wounds and its potential to develop alternative plant-derived cosmeceuticals for skin repair.