Potent in Vitro Phosphodiesterase 1 Inhibition of Flavone Isolated from Pistacia integerrima Galls

To prospect an isozyme-specific, effective inhibitor against the physiologically-crucial enzyme phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1), phytochemicals from Pistacia integerrima galls were screened. The chloroform fraction of gall extract was subjected to column chromatographic which led to the isolation of compound 1, elucidated to be 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one (a flavone). In vitro and in silico PDE1 inhibitory activity of the compound 1 was investigated. EDTA, a known PDE1 inhibitor, was used as the reference. The flavone exhibited in vitro attenuation towards snake venom PDE1. IC50 response was superior to the standard chelator. An in silico molecular docking study was carried out using 3D structure of PDE1 to study the binding interactions of compound 1. The docking study predicted that flavone had a lower binding affinity (-7.6 kcal/mol) and total energy (-95 kcal/mol) score compared to EDTA. The minimal energy associated with the ligand-protein complex implied that isolated compound 1 can serve as a therapeutic agent against PDE1 enzyme-provoked ailments like asthma, hypertension, schizophrenia, and erectile dysfunction.