Phytochemical Analysis and Molecular Docking of Costus Afer (leaf and Stem) for Antidiabetic Effect

The increasing prevalence of diabetes has driven the search for alternative plant-based treatments, with Costus afer widely recognized for its medicinal properties. This study investigated the antidiabetic potential of Costus afer leaves and stems through phytochemical analysis and molecular docking. The purpose of this research is to identify and quantify bioactive compounds in Costus afer, evaluate their drug-likeness, and determine their binding affinity to diabetes-related target proteins. Fresh leaves and stems of Costus afer were collected, dried, and extracted using the Soxhlet method. Phytochemical analysis was performed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and molecular docking was conducted using Autodock Vina to assess protein-ligand interactions. Results showed that 30 bioactive compounds were identified in the leaves, with lunamarine (25.81 mg/ml), 1,2-benzisothiazol-3-amine (17.43 mg/ml), and limonene (17.37 mg/ml) as the most abundant. In the stem, 33 bioactive compounds were detected, with 13-Octadecenal (5.85 mg/ml), cyclohexanone (5.70 mg/ml), and spiro[2.3]hexan-4-one (5.40 mg/ml) being the dominant compounds. Molecular docking revealed strong binding interactions, with lunamarine showing the highest binding affinity (-8.5 kcal/mol) to alpha-glucosidase, a key enzyme in diabetes management. The study concludes that Costus afer contains bioactive compounds with significant antidiabetic potential, supporting its traditional use in diabetes treatment. It recommends further isolation of active compounds, in vivo validation, and formulation of herbal-based drugs for clinical application. These findings highlight Costus afer as a promising candidate for natural diabetes treatment and contribute to the growing body of research on plant-based therapeutics.