Evaluation of the anti-oxidant and anti-obesity effects of ethanolic extract of Ficus auriculata Lour. fruit

Abstract

Ficus auriculata (F. auriculata), a deciduous tree in the Moraceae family, is a globally significant crop. Because of its abundance of phytochemicals and antioxidants, which are essential to human health, the fig tree is revered as a holy tree. The goal of this study was to determine if the ethanolic extract of F. auriculata fruit has any anti-oxidant or anti obesity effects, both in vitro and in vivo. The DPPH free radical technique for the quantitative determination of free radical scavenging activity and the inhibitory action against pancreatic lipase was measured using p-nitrophenyl butyrate (p-NPB) as a substrate. Blood serum was collected for serum lipid profile determination, histopathological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin stain, and results were viewed using a microscope at x400 magnification. From the results obtained, F. auriculata fruit had a large number of phenolic compounds and possible antioxidant components. The IC50 value of the sample was found to be 49.99 µg/mL. The extract exhibited the highest lipase inhibitory action, with an IC50 value of 45.61 µg/mL. At a dosage of 300 mg/kg, the extract reduced serum lipid profile and body weight in a manner similar to that of the standard drug orlistat and exhibited a reduction in the crown-like structure (CLS/mm3) to 4 CLS/mm3, while the control group had 34 CLS/mm3. Thus, the anti-obesity properties of F. auriculata fruit were confirmed using an HCD-induced obesity rat model. It reduced sugar levels, improved lipid profiles, reduced hepatic steatosis, slowed weight gain, and altered the histological marker of local inflammation.

Keywords

• Ficus auriculata
• anti-oxidant activity
• anti-obesity activity
• pancreatic lipase inhibition
• hepatic steatosis

References

1. [1] Jagadeesan G, Muniyandi K, Manoharan AL, Thamburaj S, Sathyanarayanan S, Thangaraj P. Optimization of phenolic compounds extracting conditions from Ficus racemosa L. fruit using response surface method. J Food Meas Charact. 2019; 15(13): 312-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-018-9946-6.
2. [2] Shrestha S, Bohara M, Khadayat K, Limbu A, Basnyat RC, Poudel R. Nutritional analysis and phytochemical determination of fruits of Ficus auriculata. Food and Humanity. 2023; 1(1): 370-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foohum.2023.06.014
3. [3] Shi Y, Mon AM, Fu Y, Zhang Y, Wang C, Yang X, Wang Y. The genus Ficus (Moraceae) used in diet: Its plant diversity, distribution, traditional uses and ethnopharmacological importance. J Ethnopharmacol. 2018; 226: 185 196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.07.027
4. [4] Ramadan MA, Ahmad AS, Nafady AM, Mansour AI. Chemical composition of the stem bark and leaves of Ficus pandurata Hance. Nat Prod Res. 2009; 23(13): 1218-1230. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786410902757899
5. [5] Fernández-Sánchez A, Madrigal-Santillán E, Bautista M, Esquivel-Soto J, Morales-González A, Esquivel-Chirino C, Durante-Montiel I, Sánchez-Rivera G, Valadez-Vega C, Morales-González JA. Inflammation, oxidative stress, and obesity. Int J Mol Sci. 2011;12(5):3117-3132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2019.01.022
6. [6] World Health Organization. Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. https://.who.int/nutrition/publications/obesity/WHO_TRS_894/en/. (accessed on march 10, 2022).
7. [7] Gill RS, Sharma AM, Gill SS, Birch DW, Karmali S. The impact of obesity on diabetes mellitus and the role of bariatric surgery. Maturitas. 2011; 69(2): 137-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.03.020
8. [8] Rodgers RJ, Tschöp MH, Wilding JP. Anti-obesity drugs: Past, present and future. Dis Model Mech. 2012; 5(5): 621 626. https://doi.org/10.1242/dmm.009621

9. [9] Liu TT, Liu XT, Chen QX, Shi Y. Lipase inhibitors for obesity: A review. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020; 128: 110314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110314
10. [10] Clifton JD, Lucumi E, Myers MC, Napper A, Hama K, Farber SA, Smith III AB, Huryn DM, Diamond SL, Pack M. Identification of novel inhibitors of dietary lipid absorption using zebrafish. PloS One. 2010; 5(8): e12386. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0012386
11. [11] Jain A, Ojha V, Kumar G, Karthik L, Rao KV. Phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of Ficus benjamina (Moraceae) leaves. Res J Pharm Technol. 2013; 6(11): 1184-1189.
12. [12] Shahidi F, Liyana-Pathirana CM, Wall DS. Antioxidant activity of white and black sesame seeds and their hull fractions. Food Chem. 2006; 99(3): 478-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.08.009
13. [13] World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight. Fact. Sheet. No. 311. https://who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index . Html (accessed on September 13, 2010).
14. [14] Mayer MA, Hocht C, Puyó A, Taira CA. Recent advances in obesity pharmacotherapy. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2009; 4(1): 53-61. https://doi.org/10.2174/157488409787236128
15. [15] Nakayama T, Suzuki S, Kudo H, Sassa S, Nomura M, Sakamoto S. Effects of three Chinese herbal medicines on plasma and liver lipids in mice fed a high-fat diet. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007; 109(2): 236-240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2006.07.041.
16. [16] Birari RB, Bhutani KK. Pancreatic lipase inhibitors from natural sources: unexplored potential. Drug Discov Today. 2007; 12(19-20): 879-889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2007.07.024
17. [17] Bertoletti LL, Skoronski E, Schittler L, Kempka AP. Extracts of leaves of Ficus auriculata Lour.: Antioxidant, antimicrobial and phytotoxic activity. Agric Conspec Sci. 2018; 83(4): 321-328.
18. [18] Thingbaijam R, Dutta BK, Paul SB. In vitro antioxidant capacity, estimation of total phenolic and flavonoid content of Ficus auriculata lour. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2012; 4(4): 518-521.
19. [19] Cheung LM, Cheung PC, Ooi VE. Antioxidant activity and total phenolics of edible mushroom extracts. Food Chem. 2003; 81(2): 249-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-8146(02)00419-3
20. [20] Bray GA. Medications for obesity: mechanisms and applications. Clin Chest Med. 2009; 30(3): 525-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccm.2009.05.014
21. [21] Jasmine R, Manikandan K, Karthikeyan K. Evaluating the antioxidant and anticancer property of Ficus carica fruits. Afr J Biotechnol. 2015; 14(7): 634-641. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB2014.13742
22. [22] Pan M, Song YL, Xu JM, Gan HZ. Melatonin ameliorates nonalcoholic fatty liver induced by high‐fat diet in rats. J Pineal Res. 2006; 41(1): 79-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2006.00346.x
23. [23] Shabbir F, Khan S, Yousaf MJ, Khan MA, Rajput TA. Comparison of effect of high fat diet induced obesity and subsequent atorvastatin administration on different anthropometric measures in sprague dawley rats. Pakistan Armed Forces Med J. 2016; 66(5): 699-704.
24. [24] Adhikari YP, Bhandari P, Adhikari DM, Kunwar RM. Ficus species (Ficus auriculata Lour., Ficus benghalensis L., Ficus carica L., Ficus religiosa L., Ficus semicordata Buch. Ham. ex Sm). Himalayan Fruits and Berries. 2023; 171-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85591-4.00030-1
25. [25] Deshmukh TA, Yadav BV, Badole SL, Bodhankar SL, Dhaneshwar SR. Antihyperglycaemic activity of petroleum ether extract of Ficus racemosa fruits in alloxan induced diabetic mice. Pharmacologyonline. 2007; 2: 504-515.
26. [26] Brand-Williams W, Cuvelier ME, Berset CL. Use of a free radical method to evaluate antioxidant activity. LWT Food Sci Technol. 1995; 28(1): 25-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0023-6438(95)80008-5
27. [27] Kim J, Jang DS, Kim H, Kim JS. Anti-lipase and lipolytic activities of ursolic acid isolated from the roots of Actinidia arguta. Archiv Pharmacal Res. 2009; 32: 983-987.