A Review on the Prosperous Phytochemical And
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International Journal of Bioassays ISSN: 2278-778X www.ijbio.com Review Article A REVIEW ON THE PROSPEROUS PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF FICUS CARICA Saeed Ahmad*, Farriha Rashid Bhatti, Farhan Hameed Khaliq, Sajid Irshad and Asadullah Madni Faculty of Pharmacy & Alternative Medicine, The Islamia University Of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan Received for publication: December 19, 2012; Revised : January 12, 2013; Accepted : February 21, 2013 Abstract: Ficus Carica Linn belongs to the family Moraceae. It is commonly known as Anjeer, which is a medium sized deciduous tree widely distributed in sub-tropical and tropical countries. It has been used as fruit and medicine for several centuries. Phytoconstituents like flavonoids, phenolics, fatty acis, proanthocyanidine, phytosteroles (campesterol, stigmasterol, sitosterol), xanthotoxin, psoralens, bergapten, xanthotoxol have been extracted from leaves and fruits, and peptides from latex. The fruit extract possess hypoglycemic, diuretic, antioxidant, immunity, hepetoprotective activities, latex has anthelmintic and anticarcinogenic activities. The present review on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Ficus is an effort to give a detailed literature survey of its properties. Keywords: Ficus Carica , Levosulpiride, Metocel K100lv, K4m, Wet Granulation INTRODUCTION 4 Ficus: Various species of Ficus : In English the word “fig” means giving care about Ficus altissima (council tree), Ficus aspera (clown something. The word ficolin, which appears similar to fig), Ficus auriculata , Ficus roxburghii , Ficus benghalensis Ficus and refers to a lectin like compound combining (Indian banyan), Ficus benjamina (weeping fig), Ficus the first parts of the words for fibrinogen and collagen. benjamina ‘Exotica’, Ficus benjamina ‘Comosa’, Ficus binnendykii (narrow-leaf ficus), Ficus Carica (common Ficus constituted one of the largest genera of edible fig), Ficus celebinsis (willow ficus), Ficus deltoidea medicinal plants with about 750 species of woody (mistletoe fig) syn. Ficus diversifolia , Ficus elastic (Indian plants, trees and shrubs primarily occurring in rubber tree), Ficus elastic ‘Abidjan’, Ficus elastic ‘Asahi’, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Ficus elastic ‘Decora’, Ficus elastic ‘Gold’, Ficus elastic The genus is remarkable for the large variation in the ‘Schrijveriana’, Ficus lacor (pakur tree), Ficus lingua habits of its species 1. The most important species of (box-leaved fig) syn. Ficus buxifolia , Ficus lyrata (fiddle- Ficus are F. bengalensis, F. carica, F. racemosa and F. leaf fig), Ficus macrophylla (Moreton Bay fig), Ficus elastica . Ficus Carica is commonly referred as “Fig". microcarpa (Chinese banyan), Ficus microcarpa var. Various parts of the plant like bark, leaves, tender crassifolia (wax ficus), Ficus microcarpa ‘Variegata’, shoots, fruits, seeds, and latex are medicinally Ficus pseudopalma (Philippine fig), Ficus pumila important. The fig is a very nourishing food and used in (creeping fig) syn. Ficus repens , Ficus religiosa (bo tree industrial products. It is rich in vitamins, mineral or sacred fig), Ficus rubiginosa (Port Jackson fig or rusty elements, water, and fats. Figs are one of the highest fig), Ficus rubiginosa ‘Variegata’ Ficus sagittata, Ficus plant sources of calcium and fiber. According to USDA radicans (Variegata), Ficus saussureana , syn. Ficus dawei , data for the Mission variety, dried figs are richest in Ficus stricta , Ficus subulata , syn. Ficus salicifolia, Ficus fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, tikoua (Waipahu fig) . calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs. 2 Taxonomy: The genus, Ficus , consists of over 800 species and Taxonomically it is classified as Kingdom- plantae, is one of about 40 genera of the mulberry family, Sub-kingdom tracheobionta, Super division Moraceae. There is significant genetic diversity among spermatophyte, Division magnoliphyta, Class different varieties of fig, which contain remarkable maghnoliosida, Subclass hamamelididae, Order pharmacological activities and are of commercial urticales, Family moraceae, Genus Ficus, Species carica. importance. 3 Literature survey indicated that figs have been cultivated over 1100 years and these are among Plant Discription: the earliest cultivated plants for human use. 33 It is monoecious, deciduous or large shrub, growing to a height of 6.9–10 metres (23–33 feet), with *Corresponding Author: Dr. Saeed Ahmad Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan 843 Saeed Ahmad et al.: Int. J. Bioassays , 2013, 02 (05), 843-849 smooth grey bark. Its fragrant leaves are 12–25 extract, pentosans, carotene on a dry weight basis 31,32 . centimetres (4.7–9.8 inches) long and 10–18 The latex contains 6-O-linoleyl-β-D-glucosyl-β-sitosterol, centimetres (3.9–7.1 inches) across, and deeply lobed 6-O-Oleyl-β-D-glucosyl-β-sitosterol, 6-O-palmitoyl-β-D- with three or five lobes. The complex inflorescence glucosyl-β-sitosterol, caoutchouc, resin, albumin, cerin, consists of a hollow fleshy structure called sugar and malic acid, rennin, proteolytic enzymes, the syconium, which is lined with numerous unisexual diastase, esterase, lipase, catalase, and peroxidase. flowers. The flower itself is not visible outwardly, as it Fruits contain cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3- blooms inside the infructescence. Although commonly Orhamnoglucoside, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, referred to as a fruit, the fig is actually insoluble sugars, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, the infructescence or scion of the tree, known as iron. Roots contain psoralen, bergapten. 5-9 Fig. shows a false fruit or multiple fruit, in which the flowers and the structures of phytochemical constituents present in seeds are borne. It is a hollow-ended stem containing Ficus Carica Linn. many flowers. The small orifice (ostiole) visible on the middle of the fruit is a narrow passage, which allows Following are the chemical structures of few the specialized fig wasp to enter the fruit and pollinate important compounds isolated from Ficus Carica Linn the flower, where after the fruit grows seeds. 24 like paoralen (root) (1), umbelliferone (leaf) (2), lupeol (leaf) (3), guaiazulene (root) (4), xanthotoxin (leaf) (5), The edible fruit consists of the mature syconium β-sitosterol (leaf) (6), O-Phenylphenol (fruit) (7), containing numerous one-seeded fruits (druplets). The Guaiacol (root) (8), Dopamine (fruit) (9), Cadalene fruit is 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) long, with a green (leaf) (10), Angelicin (fruit) (11), Adrenalin (fruit) (12), skin, sometimes ripening towards purple or Quercitin (leaf) (13), and raffinose (fruit) (14). 31 brown. Ficus Carica has milky sap (laticifer). The sap of the fig's green parts is an irritant to human skin. Chemical composition: Stem : campesterol, hentriacontanol, stigmasterol, euphorbol and its hexacosanate, ingenol 1 2 andtaraxerone. Leaves: moisture, 67.6%; protein, 4.3%; fat, 1.7%; crude fiber, 4.7%; ash, 5.3%; N-free extract, 16.4%; pentosans, 3.6%; carotene, bergaptene, stigmasterol, sitosterol, and tyrosine. Ficusin, taraxasterol, betasitosterol, rutin, sapogenin, Calotropenyl acetate, 3 4 lepeolacetate and oleanolic Latex: caoutchouc (2.4%), resin, albumin, cerin, sugarand malic acid, rennin, proteolytic enzymes, diastase, esterase, lipase, catalase, and peroxidase. Seed: Dried seeds contain 30% of a fixed oil 5 containing the fatty acids: oleic, 18.99%; linoleic, 33.72%; linolenic, 32.95%; palmitic, 5.23%; stearic, 2.1 8%; arachidic, 1.05%. It is edible oil and can be used as a lubricant. 25 Phytochemical Properties: Phytochemicals are the chemicals produced by plants. Literature survey indicated the presence of 6 coumarins, flavonoids, sterols, triterpenoids, anthocyanins etc , in various parts of the plant. Dried seeds contain fixed oil containing the fatty acids viz oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid. Leaves contain bergapten, 4′,5 ′-dihydropsoralen, rutin, 24-methylenecycloartanol umbelliferone, marmesin, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, 7 8 ficusogenin, lupeol, psoralen ψ-taraxasterol ester and tyrosine moisture, protein, fat, crude fiber, ash, N-free www.ijbio.com 844 Saeed Ahmad et al.: Int. J. Bioassays , 2013, 02 (05), 843-849 Modern Uses: Commercially, figs are peeled by immersion for 1min in boiling lye water or a boiling solution of sodium bicarbonate. In warm, humid climates, figs are generally eaten fresh and raw without peeling, and 9 10 they are often served with cream and sugar. Peeled or unpeeled, the fruits may be cooked in various ways, as in pies, puddings, cakes, bread or other bakery products, or added to ice cream mix. Home owners preserve the whole fruits in sugar syrup or prepare them as jam, marmalade, or paste. Fig paste (with added wheat and corn flour, whey, syrup, oils and 11 12 other ingredients) forms the filling for the bakery product. Other modern uses are as, poultice, eating, ointment, drink, gargle, simultaneously eating pickled figs, fumigation, rubbed externally, liniment, on sponge, enema, enema, skin application, ophthalmic etc 12 13 Pharmacological Activity: For many centuries, figs have been used in medicine, and this use was recorded in classical Middle Eastern and European medical writings. The placement of poultices of figs on tumors as treatment for abnormal swellings. Such swellings, according to reports of experts, could