Exploring Bioactive Profiling and Anti-cataract Effect of Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig Flower Extract on Glucose-induced Diabetic Cataract Ex vivo Model

Introduction: Hedychium coronarium flower aqueous extract is traditionally known for its potential in treating ocular disorders and has been utilized among the local tribal population. In this study, we aimed to evaluate Hedychium coronarium (HC) flower extract for diabetic cataract management using in silico and ex vivo methods. Methods: The extract was investigated for phytochemical screening using Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and evaluating total phe-nolic content, total flavonoid content, in vitro antioxidant activity, prediction of drug-likeness ac-tivity, and in silico and ex vivo anti-cataract activity. Results: The results demonstrated that this plant extract contained significant phenolic compounds and flavonoids, which accelerated the antioxidant activity as estimated in DPPH (IC50, 139.67 ± 6.64 μl/mL) and ABTS (IC50, 43.87 ± 2.18 μl/mL) assay. GC/MS screened potential compounds, including 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (8.41%), 1-methyl-4-propan-2-ylidenecyclohexene (2.64%), 4-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)-1-methylcyclohexan-1-ol (1.9%), Creosol (1.63%), 1h-purin-6-amine, [(2-fluorophenyl) methyl]- (1.45%), Isoborneol (1.36%), (+)-alpha-terpineol (p-menth-1-en-8-ol) (1.24%), Dodec-11-enyl acetate (1.17%), 1, 8-cineol (1.13%), etc. Its therapeutic potential against diabetic cataracts was confirmed through molecular docking with γ-crystallin and aldose reductase inhibitor proteins (1ELP, 1I16, and 4IGS). The ADMET analysis and bioactivity score showed better drug-likeness behavior of identified phytochemicals. Ex vivo results indicated that the Hedychium coronarium flower extract treated group demonstrated a restored reduced glutathione (GSH) level, catalase activity (CAT), and total soluble protein and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level in isolated goat lenses, confirming that it could protect from diabetic cataract. Conclusion: The results indicated that the Hedychium coronarium flower aqueous extract has ther-apeutic potential for diabetic cataract management and could be further explored for pre-clinical testing.