In Silico Evaluation of the Anti-Malaria Potential of OLAX SUBSCORPIOIDEA Leaf Extract

Malaria continues to pose a serious threat to world health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where medication resistance makes traditional treatments less effective.The study aims at ascertaining the antimalarial potential of Olax subscorpioidea leaf extract. The antimalarial potential of Olax subscorpioidea leaf extract was determined following ethanol extraction, compound identification and in silico approach where the identified phytochemicals were subjected to molecular docking.  According to the research findings, naringin (−7.608 kcal/mol), catechin (−7.102 kcal/mol), and resveratrol (−6.326 kcal/mol) demonstrated substantial binding affinities, whereas chloroquine, the reference medication, had a binding affinity of −10.673 kcal/mol. Like chloroquine, these chemicals formed important hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with the enzyme's active site, according to pharmacophore modeling result. According to ADMET result, the majority of the substances exhibited good water solubility (catechin and epicatechin at 1.74 mg/ml) and high oral bioavailability scores (0.55–0.56). According to toxicity profile result, substances such as naringin and flavan-3-ol were categorized as Class 5 (LD₅₀ = 2300–2500 mg/kg) with low toxicological concerns, whereas epicatechin and catechin belonged to toxicity Class 6 (LD₅₀ = 10,000 mg/kg), suggesting good safety. These results support Olax subscorpioidea's traditional use in the treatment of malaria and confirm its promise as a source of safe and efficient antimalarial drugs.