Anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and hepatoprotective effects of Acampe papillosa (Lindl.) Lindl. seed in wistar rats: insights from biochemical, histopathological, and in silico investigations.

Acampe papillosa (Lindl.) Lindl. has long been used to cure a variety of illnesses, including rheumatism and traumatic tissue injuries. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of comprehensive information on its phytochemical composition and pharmacological actions. Therefore, here, we present the first thorough pharmacological and histopathological analysis of Acampe papillosa seed methanolic extract (ME-APS), together with in silico molecular docking studies, hepatoprotective, wound-healing, and anti-inflammatory properties. Before pharmacological evaluations, safety was assessed through oral and dermal toxicity studies. The anti-inflammatory activity of ME-APS was tested using carrageenan and formalin-induced paw oedema models, and the wound healing potential was observed using incision and excision wound models. Hepatoprotective activity was studied in the CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity model in rats. In oral (up to 5000 mg/kg) and dermal (10% ointment formulation) toxicity studies, ME-APS was found to be safe with no visible signs of toxicity. In the study on anti-inflammatory properties, ME-APS significantly reduced paw oedema in carrageenan and formalin models of inflammation. Wound healing assays showed that the extract significantly improved wound contraction, tensile strength, epithelialization, collagen deposition, and fibroblast proliferation in a dose-dependent way. The hepatoprotective study showed that ME-APS treatment significantly restored the altered biochemical parameters, such as ALT, AST, TC, TG, and LDL levels, and ameliorated CCl4-induced histopathological liver damage. Further, the molecular docking study showed that the major phytochemicals in the extract, such as squalene, cholesta-4,6-dien-3-ol (3β), stigmasterol, and γ-sitosterol, showed significant binding affinities for COX-2 and TGF-β-related targets involved in inflammation, wound healing, and hepatoprotection. Additionally, a high probability of biological efficacy was predicted using PASS (Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances) analysis. Overall, the findings suggest that ME-APS has possible anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and hepatoprotective activities that support its traditional medicine use and imply that it is a potential source of therapeutic phytochemicals.