Applications of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) mill seed oil from eastern morocco including chemical profiling, antibacterial activity, and docking

Abstract

This study reports the chemical profiling and antimicrobial potential of Opuntia ficus-indica seed oil from Eastern Morocco, with emphasis on pharmacologically relevant constituents and valorization of an underexploited by-product. Seed oil was obtained by cold mechanical pressing and characterized using GC–MS (fatty acids and volatile profile), HPLC–DAD (tocopherols), and UHPLC–MS/MS (phenolic constituents). The oil exhibited a PUFA-rich profile dominated by linoleic acid (73.94%), with palmitic and stearic acids as major saturated components, while oleic acid was not detected under our analytical conditions. Tocopherol analysis revealed a high γ-tocopherol level (657.52 mg/kg). UHPLC–MS/MS enabled annotation of multiple phenolic compounds, including arbutin and kaempferol as major constituents. In vitro antibacterial assays showed no inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp. (inhibition zone < 7 mm), whereas moderate-to-high activity was observed against Escherichia coli (11.6 ± 0.64 mm) and Klebsiella spp. (15.6 ± 0.51 mm). In silico POM analysis supported favorable drug-likeness/toxicological profiles for arbutin and kaempferol. Overall, these results support O. ficus-indica seed oil as a chemically rich natural matrix with promising antioxidant and antibacterial potential.