Exploring the Potential Use of Withania somnifera in Leprosy and Lepra Reactions: A Molecular Docking Approach.

Introduction: Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) is a traditional herb that is cur-rently commercially available for treating a variety of illnesses. By evaluating and verifying docking affinity scores, it is possible to explore the potential of the plant for treating leprosy and lepra-reaction as off-label use.

Methods: The sitoindosides were used as ligands along with thalidomide in docking against targets, such as M. leprae, TNF-Alpha, and Interleukin-6 in order to determine the potential for inhibitory concentration and docking affinity.

Results: According to the study, good binding energy values varied from -7 to -11 Kcal/mol. Sitoindoside IX had the highest binding affinity and important binding interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, when compared to Thalidomide and Sitoindoside X against all three re-ceptors.

Conclusion: The present study confirmed that the Sitoindoside IX and X are a better fit for treating patients with leprosy. These findings are highly intriguing and suggest that this herb should be investigated further to validate these findings in leprosy.