Author(s):
Pasjan Satrimafitrah, Munajia, Indriani Indriani, Nov Irmawati Inda, Dewi Indriany Kazuya Hasegawa, Yutthana Pengjam, Yuya Yamaguchi
Email(s):
pasjan@untad.ac.id
DOI:
10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00545 
Address:
Pasjan Satrimafitrah1*, Munajia1, Indriani Indriani1, Nov Irmawati Inda1, Dewi Indriany1 Kazuya Hasegawa2, Yutthana Pengjam3, Yuya Yamaguchi4
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Tadulako University, Palu 94148, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
2Department of Health and Dietetics, Teikyo Heisei University, Tokyo, 170-8445, Japan.
3Faculty of Medical Technology, Prince of Songkhla University, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand.
4Department of Physiology, Division of Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan.
*Corresponding Author
Published In:
Volume - 19,
Issue - 8,
Year - 2026
ABSTRACT:
Nepenthes maxima Reinw. ex Nees is a carnivorous plant known to possess bioactive potential. However, in-depth chemical profiles and studies of its mechanism of action from Sulawesi populations are still very limited. This study reports a GC–MS-based phytochemical characterization integrated with in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial evaluations, alongside target prediction, network pharmacology, and molecular docking analyses to identify potential bioactive compounds from ethyl acetate extracts of the upper and lower pitchers of N. maxima collected in Central Sulawesi. Qualitative screening results showed that the ethyl acetate extract contained various semipolar secondary metabolites (alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, and terpenoids). The ethyl acetate of the lower pitcher showed the highest total phenolic content (225.84mg GAE/g) and correspondingly demonstrated the strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity, with an IC50 of 65.20ppm. In contrast, the acetone extract exhibited weak antioxidant activity (IC50 ˜ 400–451ppm). Antibacterial testing showed that activity was strongly influenced by the type of solvent and bacterial species: the methanol extract of the bottom pitcher was most effective in inhibiting S. aureus, while the ethyl acetate fraction showed a broader inhibitory spectrum and the best activity against E. coli, S. mutans, and V. cholerae. GC–MS analysis identified 11 important candidate compounds, particularly dimethyl 1,2,4-benzenethricarboxylate and O-acetyl plumbagin. Network analysis identified feaB in bacteria and PDGFRA/BCL2 in humans as central nodes. In silico analysis showed that bioactivity was mediated through inhibition of bacterial phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenase (feaB) and modulation of oxidative stress-related signaling via PDGFRA, which was supported by stable ligand-target interactions of plumbagin and benzenetricarboxylic acid derivatives. Overall, these findings highlight Nepenthes maxima as a promising source of bioactive compounds with potential applications as antioxidant and antibacterial agents, necessitating further isolation and mechanism validation studies.
Cite this article:
Pasjan Satrimafitrah, Munajia, Indriani Indriani, Nov Irmawati Inda, Dewi Indriany Kazuya Hasegawa, Yutthana Pengjam, Yuya Yamaguchi. Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Nepenthes maxima Reinw ex Nees Pitcher Ethyl Acetate Extracts from Central Sulawesi: In vitro and In silico Approaches. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(8):3872-2. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00545
Cite(Electronic):
Pasjan Satrimafitrah, Munajia, Indriani Indriani, Nov Irmawati Inda, Dewi Indriany Kazuya Hasegawa, Yutthana Pengjam, Yuya Yamaguchi. Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Nepenthes maxima Reinw ex Nees Pitcher Ethyl Acetate Extracts from Central Sulawesi: In vitro and In silico Approaches. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(8):3872-2. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00545 Available on: https://www.rjptonline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2026-19-8-62
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