Anti-inflammatory evaluation of <i>Spatoglossum variabile</i> by GC-MS, <i>in silico</i> and <i>in vitro</i> assessment

Objectives: Inflammation is a crucial component of various diseases such as arthritis, asthma and cancer. Spatoglossum variabile is a brown algae species that has not been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory potential. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanolic extracts of S. variabile in protein denaturation and human red blood cell (HRBC) assay. Materials and Methods: S. variabile was collected and extracted using ethanol, and bioactive compounds were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GCMS) techniques. Moreover, the in silico studies were carried out to check its binding affinity. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by measuring the percentage inhibition of protein by in vitro studies. The bioactive compounds responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity were identified using GC-MS analysis. Based on the GCMS report, the ethanolic extract contains more bioactive compounds, so the extract is chosen for further study. Results: The ethanolic extracts of S. variabile showed significant dose-dependent percentage inhibition of protein. The ethanolic extract was found to be more potent, with inhibition rates of 70%, 80% and 90% for the egg albumin and HRBC assay. The GC-MS analysis identified bioactive compounds in the ethanolic extracts that were found to have minimum binding affinity. Conclusion: The results suggest that S. variabile extracts possess potent anti-inflammatory activity in vitro , which could be attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds such as hydroxy-2-methyl-4-pentanone (diacetone), Tetradecanoic acid, Neophytadiene, n-Hexadecanoic acid, Oleic acid, Octadecanoic acid, Behenic alcohol, 4,8,12,16-Tetramethylheptadecan-4-olide, 1-Heptacosanol, Oleoyl chloride, 9-Octadecenoic acid, 1,2,3-propanetriyl ester, (E,E,E) and Pregnane Silane Derivatives. These findings provide evidence for the potential use of S. variabile as a natural source of anti-inflammatory agents.