Commiphora terebinthina 地上部分抗增殖、抗氧化与抗菌活性的实验与计算评估

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Published: 25 October 2026

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Abstract

Commiphora terebinthina Vollesen is a drought-tolerant species widely distributed in the Acacia-Commiphora woodlands of southern Ethiopia. The species plays a significant ecological and socio-economic role in pastoral communities by providing medicinal resin with antiseptic and insect-repellent properties, serving as an important dry-season browse for camels and other livestock, and generating household income through the harvesting and trade of incense. However, to date, no scientific study has been conducted on its chemical composition and pharmacological properties. Therefore, the present study aimed to isolate and characterize the chemical constituents from the aerial parts of C. terebinthina and evaluate their pharmacological activities. Silica gel chromatographic separation of the methanol extract afforded eleven compounds 1–10, identified herein for the first time from this species using NMR and IR. Among them, compound 7 exhibited notable antibacterial activity with an MIC of 0.625 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. Compound 4 showed antibacterial activity with an MIC of 0.625 mg/mL against Listeria monocytogenes. Compounds 7–10 demonstrated potent antioxidant activities in the DPPH assay, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 2.63 to 7.99 µg/mL. The methanol extract showed significant cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells (27.05% viability at 200 µg/mL). Molecular docking revealed that compound 6 exhibited higher predicted binding affinities with DNA gyrase B of E. coli (-7.4 kcal/mol) and S. agalactiae topoisomerase IV receptor (-9.8 kcal/mol) compared to ciprofloxacin (-7.1 and − 8.7 kcal/mol, respectively). Compound 8 showed stronger predicted binding affinity to Prdx5 (-5.8 kcal/mol) than ascorbic acid (-4.2), while compounds 7–10 bound more strongly to human myeloperoxidase (-6.4 to -9.6) than ascorbic acid (-5.0). Compounds 7–10 satisfied Lipinski’s Rule of Five, indicating favorable predicted drug-likeness. Additionally, compounds 8 and 9 were predicted to be non-mutagenic and non-toxic, with safety profiles comparable to ascorbic acid. These findings indicate that Commiphora terebinthina is a promising source of bioactive compounds warranting further experimental validation.

Acknowledgements

GN acknowledges Armauer Hansen Research Institute for sponsorship.

Funding

The work was funded by Armauer Hansen Research Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

Traditional and Modern Medicine Research and Development Directorate, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, P.O.Box 1005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Gashaw Nigussie, Asfaw Meressa, Temesgen Negassa, Abiy Abebe, Sileshi Degu, Worku Gemechu & Milkyas Endale
Communicable and Non-Communicable Research Directorate, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, P.O.Box 1005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Gashaw Nigussie, Markos Abebe, Metasebia Tegegn & Menberework Chanyalew
Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Applied Natural Science, Adama Science and Technology University, P.O.Box 1888, Adama, Ethiopia
Gashaw Nigussie & Aman Dekebo
Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, 54590, Pakistan
Sumera Zaib
Nutrition, Environmental Health and Non Communicable Diseases Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, P.O. Box,1242, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abebe Bitew Zegeye
Pharmaceutical Industry Development, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, P.O. Box 1005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Messay Woldemariam
Virology Department, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Mira St, Petersburg, Russia
Maria Niukalova
Department of Chemistry, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, 43022, USA
Mo Hunsen

Authors

Gashaw Nigussie
Sumera Zaib
Aman Dekebo
Markos Abebe
Metasebia Tegegn
Abebe Bitew Zegeye
Asfaw Meressa
Temesgen Negassa
Abiy Abebe
Sileshi Degu
Worku Gemechu
Messay Woldemariam
Maria Niukalova
Mo Hunsen
Milkyas Endale
Menberework Chanyalew

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Aman Dekebo, Milkyas Endale or Menberework Chanyalew.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval

The study was reviewed and approved by the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI)/ALERT Ethics Review Committee under protocol number PO-37-21, and permission to collect Commiphora terebinthina was obtained from the Armauer Hansen Research Institute.

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Nigussie, G., Zaib, S., Dekebo, A. et al. Experimental and computational evaluation of antiproliferative, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of Commiphora terebinthina aerial parts. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-76643-1

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Received: 24 April 2026
Accepted: 14 October 2026
Published: 25 October 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-76643-1