Molecular Docking Study of Crocetin with Interleukin–18 for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

The most frequent arrhythmias are atrial fibrillation. Although the mechanisms underlying are not fully understood, they encompass postoperative and intraoperative phenomena like cardiac ischemia sympathetic activation and inflammation that ends up causing atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is frequently associated with the presence of pre-existing factors, making the atria susceptible to atrial fibrillation. There are various treatments have been used to manage the condition. However, they are sometimes ineffective, costly, and have side effects stressing the need to explore alternative medicine. The alternative medicine which is now being explored for treating a variety of conditions is primarily involving botanical sources. However, the present research aims at exploring the potential targeting ability of crocetin, a phytochemical from saffron against Interleukin-18 which is an emerging target for atrial fibrillations using a computational approach with Autodock4. The results of the study revealed binding energy of -7.01 Kcal/mol for the most favorable docked confirmation which further suggests the potential of phytocompounds from saffron in treating and managing atrial fibrillation.