Antihypertensive potential of diosgenin: A comparative pharmacoinformatics study

The angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT₁R) is an important target protein involved in the regulation of hypertension, a major public health concern affecting 1.28 billion individuals globally. The existing drugs have serious side-effects on medium to long term use, and therefore, search for safer and more effective drug molecules is highly needed. This study explores the antihypertensive potential of thirty-six natural terpenoids targeting the AT₁R, with Allisartan isoproxil (active form, LCA) used as a positive control. After initial screening based on the Lipinski rule of five and in silico ADMET profiling, twenty-five terpenoids were selected for molecular docking studies. Diosgenin and Neoandrographolide emerged as lead compounds with superior binding affinities compared to std. drug, LCA. Diosgenin's favorable non-toxic profile (class 6) and significant molecular interactions with critical amino acids in AT₁R make it a strong candidate for further validation through MD studies. Molecular dynamics simulations at a microsecond revealed protein stability by reducing fluctuations, a compact and more stable contact exhibited by Diosgenin. Furthermore, MM-PBSA analysis showed a stronger binding affinity and thermodynamic stability of Diosgenin compared to LCA. Diosgenin exhibited no cytotoxicity in HaCaT normal keratinocyte cells at concentrations up to 22 μM (24 h) and 20 μM (48 h), as determined by in vitro validation, indicating its safety for further therapeutic evaluation. Additionally, PPI network and hub genes analysis identified potential molecular targets for Diosgenin, including SRC, ABL1, IGF1R, and JAK2, suggesting possible mechanistic role. Diosgenin is a promising natural therapeutic candidate for hypertension treatment, which could regulate vascular function, smooth muscle cell activity, and endothelial function via various mechanisms by influencing IGF1R, JAK2, KIT, MDM2, MET, and IL2 demonstrated through KEGG pathway analysis.