Phytochemical profiling, in silico molecular docking for antioxidant activity, and corrosion inhibition properties of <i>Pistacia lentiscus</i> L. extract

Abstract

Pistacia lentiscus L. is a medicinal and aromatic plant valued for its phytochemical richness and biological activities. This study investigates the phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, and corrosion inhibition properties of P. lentiscus extract. The extraction was performed using the decoction method, and the phytochemical screening revealed key bioactive compounds, including tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, sterols, and triterpenes. Six phenolic compounds were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography, with gallic acid being the most abundant (91.70 ± 0.43 mg/g), followed by rutin (5.25 ± 0.01 mg/g) and parahydroxybenzoic acid (2.83 ± 0.01 mg/g). The antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH and FRAP assays. In the DPPH assay, the extract exhibited an IC50 value of 4.18 ± 0.005 µg/mL, which is comparable to ascorbic acid (IC50 = 2.80 ± 0.020 µg/mL). The FRAP assay revealed an EC50 of 0.27 ± 0.003 mg/mL, compared to ascorbic acid’s EC50 of 0.11 ± 0.001 mg/mL. In silico molecular docking studies showed that rutin and gallic acid had the highest binding affinities with the 4M6J active site. The extract demonstrated 83.26% corrosion inhibition efficiency on carbon steel in 1M HCl. This study suggests that P. lentiscus extract holds significant potential for therapeutic/industrial applications as a natural, eco-friendly resource.