An in silico determination of Drug-Like Molecules from Plant Source to Treat Leprosy-A Neglected Tropical Infectious Disease of India

In developing countries, awareness towards controlling the infectious diseases with high mortality and morbidity
among poor people is neglected. Leprosy otherwise known as Hansen’s disease, remains chronic from ancient
times which is one among the neglected tropical disease. Though WHO in 1991 set a target to eliminate leprosy
by 2000, there are reports recently in 2011 that 41% of cases registered in India. Causative of leprosy is
Mycobacterium leprae which affects peripheral nerves, skin and multiple internal organs. Treatment involves the
usage of dapsone, a bacteriostatic against M. leprae for many years until the widespread resistant strains occur.
Due to which combination therapy emerged where WHO 1998 prescribed rifampicin with dapsone to treat
paucibacillary leprosy and rifampicin and/or clofazimine with dapson for multibacillary leprosy. The difficulties
in handling the transmission of leprosy bacilli through inhalation or by direct contact, complete eradication of the
disease has not been achieved instead severity being increased. In this perspective, the effective, safe and
affordable pharmaceuticals has to be discovered from the plant sources, since they act as reservoir from the
ancient period and found as one of traditional medicinal system followed. The plants Andrographis paniculata
and Ricinus communis having traditional background are selected for the present study in order to predict and
identify the bioactive principle through in silico docking analysis. Through the binding score and hydrogen bond
formation, the plant compounds for treating leprosy have to be taken further for drug development process.