Chemical Constituents, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activities of Ethyl Acetate Fractionated Extract from Rhizomes of Zingiber monophyllum Gagnep.: In vitro and in silico Screenings

Objective/Background: Zingiber monophyllum Gagnep., a member of the Zingiberaceae family, is known for its significant biological activities. The current study aimed to determine the volatile components of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fractionated extract found in the rhizomes of this species. This is the first report on the chemical composition and bioactivities of Z. monophyllum rhizomes fractionated extract. Methods: The chemical constituents were analyzed and determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antioxidant activities were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays using ascorbic acid as a positive control. Antibacterial and antifungal properties of the EtOAc fractionated extract of Z. monophyllum rhizomes were assessed against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Candida albicans. Density functional theory (DFT) and molecular docking were also employed to illustrate antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Results: Nine components were identified by GC-MS analysis from the EtOAc fractionated extract of Z. monophyllum rhizomes. (E)-labda-8(17),12-diene-15,16-dial (9), spathulenol (2), and neointermedeol (5) were the major components (21.8%, 16.8%, and 11.9%, respectively). Moderate antioxidant activities of the EtOAc fractionated extract were observed via both the DPPH assay and the FRAP assay using ascorbic acid as the standard compound. The extract demonstrated remarkable antimicrobial activity against all examined microbial strains, except for P. aeruginosa. The DFT study analyzed the antioxidant potential of each component in the fractionated extract. Molecular docking study chose E. faecalis DNA gyrase B, E. coli DNA gyrase B, S. aureus biotin protein ligase, E. faecalis Alanine racemase, and C. albicans N-myristoyltransferase as potential target proteins for antimicrobial activity. Conclusion: In this study, the chemical composition of the EtOAc fractionated extract of Z monophyllum rhizomes was demonstrated through GC-MS analysis for the first time. Nine components, including alloaromadendrene, spathulenol, globulol, τ-cadinol, neointermedeol, aromadendrene oxide-(2), ambrial, (E)-15,16-dinorlabda-8(17),11-dien-13-one, and (E)-lambda-8 (17),12-diene-15,16-dial along with relative content were identified in this fractionated extract. The bioassays reveale