## 4 Discussion  
_P. cauliflora_ has been associated with numerous ethnobotanical applications in treating various conditions such as diarrhea, labyrinthitis, skin irritations, flu, genitourinary problems, and asthma [10]. The commercial potential of _P. cauliflora_ is significant, as its fruit is highly appreciated for both fresh consumption and for its use in making jelly, juice, ice cream, fermented beverages, and liqueurs [10]. This fruit is considered a functional food due to its richness in anthocyanins, exhibiting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it sought after by the pharmaceutical industry for its nutraceutical characteristics. In our study, we investigated the extract of _P. cauliflora_ obtained using 50% ethanol and found that it has the capability to inhibit the activity of KpSSB (Figure 2), an essential DNA replication protein in _K. pneumoniae. K. pneumoniae_ is classified as one of the dangerous ESKAPE organisms and can effectively \"escape\" the biocidal action of antibiotics [31]. Given its association with life-threatening infections, it is important to combat this pathogen in some effective ways [34,35]. SSB plays a vital role in cellular survival, making it a potential target for pharmacological inhibition to combat bacterial pathogens. Inhibiting DNA replication and repair has a long-standing history as an antimicrobial strategy in antibiotic development. Notably, antibiotics such as quinolones and aminocumarins were successfully developed for clinical applications by targeting bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV [54,55]. As plants have been a rich source of pharmaceutical products with antibacterial properties, it is worthwhile to explore different plant extracts and continue the search for inhibitors against SSBs. The findings from our study provide promising insights into the potential therapeutic applications of _P. cauliflora_ and its extract in combating bacterial pathogens by targeting essential DNA replication proteins. According to the GC-MS analysis (Table 1), the top 15 compounds (>0.7%) in the fruit extract of _P. cauliflora_ were tentatively identified as follows: 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4h-pyran-4-one, 2,5-diformylfuran, furfural, acetic acid, citraconic anhydride, formic acid, ethyl 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enoate, furfuryl alcohol, furfuryl hydroxymethyl ketone, 3-acetyl-3-hydroxyoxolane-2-one, 2,3-dihydro-5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4H-pyran-4-one, 2(3H)-furanone, dihydro-4-hydroxy-, hydroxacetone, and 1-hydroxybut-3-en-2-one. This extract may contain compounds that could potentially act as KpSSB inhibitors. However, it is essential to note that other compounds, such as catechin, epiacethen, quercetin, and rutin, have also been identified in various extracts from _P. cauliflora_[9]. In our study, we observed that rutin exhibited an inhibitory effect on the DNA-binding activity of KpSSB with an IC\({}_{50}\) value of 293 \(\pm\) 16 uM. Rutin, also known as vitamin P, is abundantly found in various vegetables and fruits and is known to possess antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antiviral properties. Its anticancer potential has been associated with the regulation of multiple signaling pathways, including NF-kB, PI3K-Akt-mTOR, Nrf2, ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK [56]. Given the inhibition capacity against the DNA replication protein SSB, it is worth continuing the search for inhibitors against SSB and for finding possible DNA-binding targets in cancer cells. SSB typically recognizes ssDNA [57,58] through a highly conserved oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) fold. The OB fold structure consists of a five-stranded \(\beta\)-barrel capped by an \(\alpha\)-helix [59]. SSB is comprised of two domains: an N-terminal domain for