Open Access

ARTICLE

Valorisation of Northern Moroccan Centaurium erythraea: Targeted Phytochemistry, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Efficacy and Drug Likeness Benchmarking

Yousra Hammouti^1,2,*, François Mesnard², Oussama Khibech³, Mohamed Taibi¹, Yousra Belbachir³, El Hassania Loukili⁴, Reda Bellaouchi⁵, Abdeslam Asehraou⁵, Mohamed Addi^1,*

1 Laboratory for the Improvement of Agricultural Production, Biotechnology and Environment (LAPABE), Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, 60000, Morocco
2 BIOPI–BioEcoAgro Joint Research Unit 1158, INRAE, University of Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, 80000, France
3 Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Environment (LCAE), Faculty of Science, University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, 60000, Morocco
4 Euromed Research Center, Euromed Polytechnic School, Euromed University of Fes (UEMF), Fes, 30000, Morocco
5 Laboratory of Bioresources, Biotechnology, Ethnopharmacology and Health, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Boulevard Mohamed VI, BP 717, Oujda, 60000, Morocco

* Corresponding Authors: Yousra Hammouti. Email: ; Mohamed Addi. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Medicinal Plants and Natural Bioactives: From Pharmacology to Cosmeceutical Innovation)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(11), 3563-3583. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.071139

Received 01 August 2025; Accepted 03 November 2025; Issue published 01 December 2025

Abstract

Centaurium erythraea Rafn (“Gosset El Haya”) has long been prized in North African folk medicine, yet Moroccan chemobiological data remain scarce. Ethanol extracts of northern Moroccan aerial parts were profiled by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and found rich in phenolics, dominated by 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (57.8%) and naringin (10.3%). The extract exhibited strong antioxidant power in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of ≈74 µg mL⁻¹, and a total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of ≈201 µg mL⁻¹ and selective antimicrobial activity, sharply inhibiting Aspergillus niger, Penicillium digitatum, and Rhodotorula glutinis while sparing Staphylococcus aureus. In-silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profiling predicted good oral bioavailability for low-molecular-weight acids and aglycones, low toxicity across all metabolites, but absorption liabilities for bulky glycosides. Molecular docking against A. niger esterase (1UKC), C. glabrata lanosterol 14-α-demethylase CYP51 (5JLC), and P. digitatum ethylene-forming oxidoreductase (9EIR) corroborated bioassays: rutin and naringin bound more tightly than fluconazole (ΔG ≈ −9.1 to −10.0 kcal mol⁻¹), whereas quercetin and catechin offered balanced affinity pharmacokinetic profiles. Robust radical scavenging, targeted antifungal potency, and favorable in-silico pharmacokinetics thus position Moroccan C. erythraea as a promising, though standardization-dependent, source of nutraceutical, medicinal, and food-preservation agents. These results support the valorisation of Centaurium erythraea as a promising source for health promotion and green technology applications through its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and drug-like properties.

---

Keywords

---