Deciphering the multifarious biomedicinal properties of marine-derived Streptomyces kunmingensis through In vitro, In...

Bacterial resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer pose significant global health concerns. Current treatment protocols prove inadequate owing to adverse reactions and the emergence of resistant strains. In this context, this study explores the biomedicinal properties of an underexplored marine actinobacterium Streptomyces kunmingensis. Antibacterial activity inferred that the ethyl acetate extract of S. kunmingensis strenuously inhibited the growth of bacterial pathogens and violacein production by Chromobacterium violaceum. The extract effectively neutralized DPPH radicals (18.7%-85.5%) and affirmed its strong antioxidant properties. Anti-inflammatory activity (19.4%-80.6%) showed dose-dependent inhibition of hemolysis in red blood cells, and anti-arthritis activity (14.2%-74.5%) was confirmed by protein denaturation assay. Anticancer potential against A549 recorded an IC₅₀ value of 27.5 µg/mL. Toxicity assessment using Artemia salina recorded LC₅₀ values of 92.41 and 16.6 µg/mL after 24 h and 48 h. Spectroscopic (HPLC, FT-IR and GC-MS) characterization of the extract indicated fatty acids (28.125%) and iodinated hydrocarbons (28.125%) as the predominant categories of bioactive compounds. Metabolomic profiling by heatmap was used to elucidate the relationships among bioactive compounds. Molecular docking of the identified compounds against lung cancer (EGFR), inflammatory (TNF) and Staphylococcal protein A (SpA) virulence proteins revealed variation in binding affinity and further bolstered that Glutaric acid, (2-methylcyclohex-1-enyl) methyl tridec-2-yn-1-yl ester and N-benzoyl-1-ethoxymethanimidothioate are the promising bioactive molecules. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report identifying these compounds as lead molecules with potent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.