In silico and in vitro anti-bacterial activity of essential oil and extracts obtained from wintergreen (Gaultheria fragranntissima)

The global rise of antimicrobial resistance poses a critical threat to public health, urging an immediate need for the exploration of novel therapeutic agents. This study investigated the inhibitory potential of Gaultheria fragranntissima (Indian wintergreen) oil and extracts against selected bacterial strains. Phytochemicals were extracted using the maceration method, and antibacterial activity was assessed via the paper-disc diffusion method. In vitro results revealed that the methanolic and acetonic extracts exhibited notable inhibitory effects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, producing zones of inhibition measuring 8.4 and 9.9 mm, respectively, while Escherichia coli was resistant to all four tested extracts. Wintergreen oil also showed moderate inhibitory effects against both the gram-negative strains E. coli KT45 and P. aeruginosa MTCC 1263, with zone of inhibition 6.5 mm and 6.1 mm, respectively. In the present study, the molecular docking analysis was also performed against key bacterial target proteins-DNA gyrase B and the selected phytocompounds of essential oil and leaf as ligands. These findings suggest that G. fragrantissima oil and leaf phytochemicals are promising candidates for novel therapeutics against MDR pathogens and can be seen as an alternative for developing future formulations to treat bacterial infections.