Estimation of cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant effects of the leaf extracts of Anatolian Ficus carica var. domestica and their total phenol and flavonoid contents

Nat Prod Commun. 2011 Mar;6(3):375-8.

Abstract

Ficus carica var. domestica Tsch. & Rav. (common fig) is widely grown in Turkey and exported for its edible fruits. In this study, the n-hexane, chloroform, acetone, methanol, n-butanol, and water extracts of the leaves of F. carica var. domestica were screened for their cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities. Cholinesterase inhibition against acetyl- (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was measured by the spectrophotometric method of Ellman at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 microg/mL., while antioxidant activity was tested using three in vitro methods; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, metal-chelation capacity, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extracts were determined spectrophotometrically. Our results revealed that the n-hexane and acetone extracts exerted a notable inhibition against both AChE (62.9 +/- 0.9% and 50.8 +/- 2.1%, respectively) and BChE (76.9 +/- 2.2% and 45.6 +/- 1.3%, respectively). However, they had low activity in the antioxidant tests. The chloroform extract was found to be the richest in total flavonoid content (252.5 +/- 1.1 mg/g quercetin equivalent), while the n-butanol extract had the highest total phenol amount (85.9 +/- 3.2 mg/g extract gallic acid equivalent).

MeSH terms

  • Acetylcholinesterase / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / chemistry
  • Antioxidants / pharmacology*
  • Biphenyl Compounds / chemistry
  • Butyrylcholinesterase / chemistry
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Electrophorus
  • Ferric Compounds / chemistry
  • Ferrozine / chemistry
  • Ficus / chemistry*
  • Flavonoids / chemistry*
  • Flavonoids / pharmacology*
  • Horses
  • Iron Chelating Agents / chemistry
  • Iron Chelating Agents / pharmacology
  • Phenols / chemistry*
  • Phenols / pharmacology*
  • Picrates / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Solvents

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Biphenyl Compounds
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors
  • Ferric Compounds
  • Flavonoids
  • Iron Chelating Agents
  • Phenols
  • Picrates
  • Plant Extracts
  • Solvents
  • Ferrozine
  • 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
  • Acetylcholinesterase
  • Butyrylcholinesterase