Molekul: Jurnal Ilmiah Kimia
Vol 21 No 2 (2026)

A Combined Molecular Docking, Dynamics Simulation, and In Vitro Evaluation of Hydroxythioxanthones as Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Candidates

Faris Hermawan (Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Serpong, Tangerang Selatan 15354, Banten, Indonesia)
Anita Dwi Puspitasari (Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Wahid Hasyim, Semarang, Indonesia)
Ririn Lispita Wulandari (Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Wahid Hasyim, Semarang, Indonesia)
Muhammad Eka Prastya (Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Serpong, Tangerang Selatan 15354, Banten, Indonesia)
Minarti Minarti (Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Serpong, Tangerang Selatan 15354, Banten, Indonesia)
Nik Nur Syazni Nik Mohamed Kamal (Department of Toxicology, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kepala Batas, Penang 13200, Malaysia)
Hasna Marwa Annazwa (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia)
Sorta Dwi Margaretta Nababan (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
20 Jul 2026

Abstract

ABSTRACT. This research conducts a comprehensive investigation of hydroxythioxanthone derivatives through an integrated methodology that includes molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and in vitro evaluations of antidiabetic and antioxidant activities. Molecular docking and MD simulations were performed to elucidate the binding interactions and dynamic stability of these compounds in complex with the α-glucosidase enzyme. The docking results indicated that the hydroxythioxanthone derivatives exhibited binding affinities ranging from −5.48 to −6.42 kcal/mol. In contrast, α-D-glucopyranose and quercetin demonstrated higher binding affinities of −6.99 and −7.01 kcal/mol, respectively. Subsequently, 100 ns MD simulations confirmed the stability of the ligand–protein complexes, as evidenced by consistently low values of root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), and radius of gyration (Rg). The antidiabetic activity assay revealed that 4-chloro-1-hydroxythioxanthone (TX4) and 2,4-dichloro-1,3-dihydroxythioxanthone (TX5) exhibited strong inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase, with IC₅₀ values of 78.35 and 91.97 µg/mL, respectively, whereas quercetin showed a lower IC₅₀ value of 1.25 µg/mL. Furthermore, the antioxidant evaluation demonstrated that 2-chloro-1-hydroxythioxanthone (TX3) and 4-chloro-1-hydroxythioxanthone (TX4) possessed IC₅₀ values of 87.48 and 17.72 µg/mL, respectively, while ascorbic acid served as the reference compound with an IC₅₀ value of 9.15 µg/mL. Keywords: antidiabetic, antioxidant, molecular docking, molecular dynamics, thioxanthone

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jm

Publisher

Subject

Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology Chemistry Materials Science & Nanotechnology

Description

The MOLEKUL is dedicated to fostering advancements in all branches of chemistry and its diverse sub-disciplines. It aims to publish high-quality research encompassing a wide range of topics, including but not limited to Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Biological Activities of Synthetic Drugs, ...