Computational Driven Discovery of Anti-Breast Cancer Phytochemicals from Clove Leaf Waste (Syzygium aromaticum): An Integrated Molecular Docking Approach
Abstract
Clove leaf (Syzigium aromaticum) waste represents a rich source of secondary metabolites that has been largely underutilized by the community, this study was conducted to identify compounds present in clove leaf waste extract and predict their binding affinity toward molecular targets relevant to breast cancer using a molecular docking approach. The extraction of clove leaf waste was performed using n-hexane as the solvent, followed by compound identification through GC-MS. The interactions between clove leaf waste compounds and a commercially used breast cancer drug were evaluated through docking simulations against the target protein using the VinaWizard plugin in PyRx 1.1 software. Docking were subsequently visualized using PyMOL software. SMILES-derived structures of clove leaf waste compounds. The results of molecular docking simulation showed that the control ligands, neratinib and tamoxifen, exhibited binding energies of -4.3 kcal/mol and -5.7 kcal/mol, α-humulene, and β-caryophyllene -7.3 kcal/mol, caryophyllene oxide -6.7 kcal/mol and eugenol -5.9 kcal/mol. The reference drug tamoxifen demonstrated negative binding affinities (kcal/mol) against estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and HER2, suggesting strong interactions with breast cancer– related molecular targets.
Keywords: breast cancer; clove leaf waste; bioactive compounds; molecular docking.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Ariazi, E.A., Ariazi, J.L., Cordera, F., and Jordan, V.C., 2006, Estrogen receptors as therapeutic targets in breast cancer, Current topics in medicinal chemistry, 6(3), 181-202.
Begum, S.N., Ray, A.S., and Rahaman, C.H., 2022, A comprehensive and systematic review on potential anticancer activities of eugenol: From pre-clinical evidence to molecular mechanisms of action, Phytomedicine, 107, 154456.
Burley, S.K., Bhikadiya, C., Bi, C., Bittrich, S., Chen, L., Crichlow G.V., et al., 2023, RCSB Protein Data Bank: Powerful new tools for exploring 3D structures of biological macromolecules for basic and applied research and education in fundamental biology, biomedicine, biotechnology, bioengineering and energy sciences, Nucleic Acids Research, 51(D1), D488–D497.
Banwo, O.M., Babarinde, C.O., Ogunlakin, A.D., Olaoluwa, O.O., Badmos, S.T., Mohammed, I., and Guido, F., 2026, Essential oils of Ficus recurvata and Ficus sagittifolia (Moraceae) as potential BCL-2 inhibitors in cancer therapy, In Silico Pharmacology, 14(1), 95.
Burstein, H.J., 2020, Systemic therapy for estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, New England Journal of Medicine, 383(26), 2557–2570.
Caesar, L.K., and Cech, N.B., 2019, Synergy and antagonism in natural product extracts, Natural Product Reports, 36(6), 869–888.
Cheikhyoussef, A., Cheikhyoussef, N., Rahman, A., and Hussein, A.A., 2022, Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) phenolics: Extraction, compositions, and biological activities. In Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) (pp. 215-233), Academic Press.
Dallakyan, S., and Olson, A.J., 2015, Small-molecule library screening by docking with PyRx, Methods in Molecular Biology, 1263, 243–250.
Du, X., Li, Y., Xia, Y.L., Ai, S.M., Liang, J., Sang, P., et al., 2016, Insights into protein–ligand interactions: mechanisms, models, and methods, International journal of molecular sciences, 17(2), 144.
Elkhalifa, A.E.O., Al-Shammari, E., Kuddus, M., Adnan, M., Sachidanandan, M., Awadelkareem, A.M., and Ashraf, S.A., 2023, Structure-based multi-targeted molecular docking and dynamic simulation of soybean-derived isoflavone genistin as a potential breast cancer signaling proteins inhibitor, Life, 13(8), 1739.
El-Saber Batiha, G., Alkazmi, L.M., Nadwa, E.H., Rashwan, E.K., and Batiha, G.E.S., 2020, Syzygium aromaticum (clove): Chemical composition, pharmacological activities, and health benefits, Biomolecules, 10(2), 202.
Eghtedari, M., Jafari Porzani, S., and Nowruzi, B., 2021, Anticancer potential of natural peptides from terrestrial and marine environments: a review, Phytochem Lett., 42, 87–103.
Fidyt, K., Fiedorowicz, A., Strządała, L., and Szumny, A., 2016, β‐caryophyllene and β‐caryophyllene oxide—natural compounds of anticancer and analgesic properties, Cancer medicine, 5(10), 3007-3017.
Fuentes, N., and Silveyra, P., 2019, Estrogen receptor signaling mechanisms, Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology, 116, 135–170.
Friesner, R.A., Murphy, R.B., Repasky, M.P., Frye, L.L., Greenwood, J.R., Halgren, T.A., et al., 2006, Extra precision glide: Docking and scoring incorporating a model of hydrophobic enclosure for protein−ligand complexes, Journal of medicinal chemistry, 49(21), 6177- 6196.
Guo, L., Shao, W., Zhou, C., Yang, H., Yang, L., Cai, Q., et al., 2023, Neratinib for HER2- positive breast cancer with an overlooked option, Molecular Medicine, 29(1), 134.
Hemaiswarya, S. and Doble, M., 2013, Combination of phenylpropanoids with 5-fluorouracil as anti-cancer agents against human cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line, Phytomedicine, 20(2), 151-158.
Hanker, A.B., Sudhan, D.R., and Arteaga, C.L., 2020, Overcoming endocrine resistance in breast cancer, Cancer Cell, 37(4), 496–513.
Harbeck, N., Penault-Llorca, F., Cortes, J., Gnant, M., Houssami, N., Poortmans, P., et al., 2019, Breast cancer, Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 5, 66.
Jordan, V.C., 2021, The new biology of estrogen-induced apoptosis applied to treat and prevent breast cancer, Endocrine-Related Cancer, 28(3), T1–T12.
Jiang, H., Zhong, S., Schwarz, P., Chen, B., and Rao, J., 2022, Chemical composition of essential oils from leaf and bud of clove and their impact on the antifungal and mycotoxin inhibitory activities of clove oil-in-water nanoemulsions, Industrial Crops and Products, 187, 115479.
Kim, S., Chen, J., Cheng, T., Gindulyte, A., He, J., He, S., et al., 2023, PubChem 2023 update, Nucleic Acids Research, 51(D1), D1373–D1380.
Kitchen, D.B., Decornez, H., Furr, J.R., and Bajorath, J., 2023, Docking and scoring in virtual screening for drug discovery: Methods and applications, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 22(9), 709–726.
Li, D., Jiang, K., Teng, D., Wu, Z., Li, W., Tang, Y., et al., 2022, Discovery of new estrogen-related receptor α agonists via a combination strategy based on shape screening and ensemble docking, Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 62(3), 486-497.
Letlora, M.E., Baharuddin, A.A., Wael, S., Jaber, Z.M., and Rehena, J.F., 2024, Evaluation of tea herbal based ingredients clove leaves (Syzygium aromaticum) of Maluku Indonesia, Rumphius Pattimura Biological Journal, 6(2), 078-083.
Loibl, S., Poortmans, P., Morrow, M., Denkert, C., and Curigliano, G., 2021, Breast cancer, The Lancet, 397(10286), 1750–1769.
Meng, X.Y., Zhang, H.X., Mezei, M., and Cui, M., 2011, Molecular docking: A powerful approach for structure-based drug discovery, Current Computer-Aided Drug Design, 7(2), 146–157.
Moasser, M.M., 2023, The oncogene HER2: Its signaling and targeting in cancer, Oncogene, 42, 1581–1594.
Modi, S., Saura, C., Yamashita, T., Park, Y.H., Kim, S.B., Tamura, K., and Verma, S., 2021, Trastuzumab deruxtecan in previously treated HER2-positive breast cancer, New England Journal of Medicine, 384(12), 1143–1154.
Nahar, L., Al-Groshi, A., Kumar, A., and Sarker, S.D., 2022, Arbutin: occurrence in plants, and its potential as an anticancer agent, Molecules, 27(24), 8786.
Nilsson, S. and Gustafsson, J.Å., 2011, Estrogen receptors: Therapies targeted to receptor subtypes, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 89(1), 44–55.
Nusaly, W.N., Watuguly, T.W., Pattiasina, E.B., and Wael, S., 2023, Identification of medicinal plants and benefits in the village of negeri lima, maluku district, Biopendix: Jurnal Biologi, Pendidikan dan Terapan, 10(1), 156-170.
O’Boyle, N.M., Banck, M., James, C.A., Morley, C., Vandermeersch, T., and Hutchison, G.R., 2011, Open Babel: An open chemical toolbox, Journal of Cheminformatics, 3, 33.
Patil, R., Das, S., Stanley, A., Yadav, L., Sudhakar, A., and Varma, A.K., 2010, Optimized hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding at the target-ligand interface leads the pathways of drug-designing, PloS one, 5(8), e12029.
Peluso, P., and Chankvetadze, B., 2022, Recognition in the domain of molecular chirality: from noncovalent interactions to separation of enantiomers, Chem. Rev., 122(16), 13235-13400.
Pinzi, L. and Rastelli, G., 2019, Molecular docking: Shifting paradigms in drug discovery, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(18), 4331.
Prashar, A., Locke, I.C., and Evans, C.S., 2006, Cytotoxicity of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) oil and its major components to human skin cells, Cell Proliferation, 39(4), 241-248.
Pagadala, N.S., Syed, K., and Tuszynski, J., 2017, Software for molecular docking: A review, Biophysical Reviews, 9(2), 91–102.
Kavarthapu, R., Anbazhagan, R., and Dufau, M.L., 2021, Crosstalk between PRLR and EGFR/HER2 signaling pathways in breast cancer, Cancers, 13(18), 4685.
Kiralan, M. and Ketenoglu, O., 2022, Food applications of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) extracts, In Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) (pp. 607-617). Academic Press.
Shi, X., Zhang, W., Bao, X., Liu, X., Yang, M., and Yin, C., 2023, Eugenol modulates the NOD1-NF-κB signaling pathway via targeting NF-κB protein in triple-negative breast cancer cells, Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, 1136067.
Saini, H., Gupta, P.K., Mahapatra, A.K., Rajagopala, S., Tripathi, R., and Nesari, T., 2024, Deciphering the multi-scale mechanism of herbal phytoconstituents in targeting breast cancer: a computational pharmacological perspective, Scientific reports, 14(1), 23795.
Sung, H., Ferlay, J., Siegel, R.L., Laversanne, M., Soerjomataram, I., Jemal, A., and Bray, F., 2021, Global cancer statistics 2020, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 71(3), 209–249.
Thakur, N., Chitme, H.R., Tripathi, Y.C., and Varshney, V.K., 2025, Multitarget in Vitro and in Silico Evaluation of Neolitsea Pallens Leaf Essential Oil: GC–MS Profiling, Molecular Docking, and ADMET Analysis, ChemistrySelect, 10(44), e02787.
Trott, O. and Olson, A.J., 2010, AutoDock Vina: Improving the speed and accuracy of docking, Journal of Computational Chemistry, 31(2), 455–461.
Waks, A.G. and Winer, E.P., 2019, Breast cancer treatment: A review, JAMA, 321(3), 288–300.
World Health Organization, 2023, Breast cancer. WHO.
Wael, S., Nuringtyas, T.R., Wijayanti N Astuti P., 2018, Secondary metabolites production in clove (Syzygium aromaticum): chemical compounds, Journal of biological science, 18(7), 399-406.
Wahman, R., Mohamed, S., Bayoumi, S., Morsy, R., Shafie, S., Abdelraheem, N., et al., 2025, Investigating the potential scabicidal activities of three essential oils: gaining mechanistic insights through in vitro contact bioassay and molecular docking, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 25(1), 185.
Watuguly, T.W., Leiwakabessy, F., Rehena, J.F., Mose, W., and Wael, S., 2022, Prevention of breast cancer with the breast self-examination method (BSE) in the Negeri Lima village, Leihitu District, Maluku Province, Bioedupat: Pattimura Journal of Biology and Learning, 2(2), 32-36.
Wang, H., 2025, The Role of HER2 in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms, Clinical Impact, and Advances in Targeted Therapies, Open access peer-reviewed chapter, Role of HER2 - From Molecular Mechanisms to Targeted Therapies.
Zhang, Z., Yang, L., Hou, J., Tian, S., and Liu, Y., 2021, Molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer activities of licorice flavonoids, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 267, 113635.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14499/indonesianjcanchemoprev16iss3pp163-181
Copyright (c) 2025 Indonesian Journal of Cancer Chemoprevention
Indexed by:
Indonesian Society for Cancer Chemoprevention