Neuroprotective activity of (L.) Schott leaves against monosodium glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in rats: phytochemical and molecular docking study.

(L.) Schott is a food crop with long history of use in treatment of various disorders including neurological diseases. The methanolic leaves extract (ME) and its -butanol fraction (-BF) demonstrated significant neuroprotective activity in monosodium glutamate induced excitotoxicity in rats. Sixteen and fifteen polyphenolic compounds were identified in -BF and ME, respectively, using HPLC. Phytochemical investigation of -BF followed by 1D (H and C NMR) spectroscopic analyses led to isolation and identification of daucosterol (), thermopsoside () and chrysoeriol 7---D-neohesperidoside () for the first time from genus , in addition to orientin (). LC/MS/MRM analysis of fraction V obtained from -BF revealed identification of 13 polyphenolic compounds. Molecular docking of isolated compounds confirmed binding of all compounds at the target pocket with higher energy than crystallised ligand. The current study evaluated and confirmed the mechanistic aspects of neuroprotective activity of leaves for the first time.