Phytochemicals

Ficus recemosa is an underutilized vegetable; however, it has many folk medicinal uses. Still there is a lack of systematic report on the phytochemicals present in this underutilized vegetable. The objectives of this study were to investigate the phytochemicals and to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory activity of Ficus recemosa fruit extracts using five different solvents. Five different extracts (in methanol, ethanol, chloroform, n-hexane and petroleum ether) of mature Ficus racemosa fruits were prepared by employing maceration process. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of phytochemicals in the extracts were performed. Several in vitro assay methods were used to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Qualitative test detected the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, flavonols, resins, saponins, proanthocyanidins, coumarins, steroids and tannins in the extracts. Quantitative analyses demonstrated the highest content of polyphenols such as phenolics (56.90±1.37 mg gallic acid/ g dry weight), flavonoids (32.33±2.60 mg of catechin/ g dry weight), flavonols (4.21±.19 mg of quercetin/ g dry weight) and proanthocyanidins (12.59±.39 mg of catechin/ g dry weight) in ethanolic extract. DPPH and Superoxide radical scavenging assays of methanolic extract showed the strongest antioxidant activity (IC50 values are 42.80±1.78 and 72.95±4.10 µg/ml, respectively) than those of other extracts, whereas, ABTS and nitric oxide scavenging assays of ethanolic extract showed the highest activity with the IC50 value of 65.15±3.4 and 140.3±2.35 µg/ml, respectively. In egg albumin and BSA denaturation assay ethanolic extract was found to be the most effective. Extracts of Ficus racemosa fruits possesses a wide range of pharmacologically important phytochemicals which exhibited strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.