In vitro Evaluation of Chemical Composition and Various Biological Activities of Ficus carica Leaves Extracts

Objectives: The present study was aimed to investigate the inhibitory activities of enzymes, related with diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease of the methanol and water extracts of F. carica leaves extracts.The bioactive compounds, anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects of the extracts were also investigated. Materials and Methods:The bioactive compounds in the extracts were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method.The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging, total phenol and flavonoid content, ferric reducing power and iron chelating method.The anticancer, anticholinesterase, and antimicrobial effects were investigated using the XTT assay, Ellman method, and microdilution technique, respectively. Results:Our results showed that between the water and methanol extracts there was a difference in terms of chemical composition.The antioxidant results suggested that both extracts have strong antioxidant activity.Similarly, both extracts showed strong α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition activity, while the water extract has higher inhibition activity than the methanol extract against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE).The methanol extract of F. carica exhibited significant anticancer activity on MDA-MB-231 cells and showed moderate antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion:Our results suggest that F. carica leaves could be a valuable source for developing a promising therapeutic agent in cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.