Antitumoral activity of Ficus carica L. on colorectal cancer cell lines.

In traditional medicine, Ficus carica (also known as fig) latex is recognized as a remedy with various therapeutic effects. In the present study we investigated the antitumor activity of Ficus carica extracts and latex. We evaluated the effects of increasing concentrations of Ficus carica extracts and latex on HCT-116 and HT-29 human colorectal cell proliferation using MTT assay and apoptosis induction by evaluating PARP cleavage by Western blot analysis. Peel, pulp, leaves, whole fruit and latex extracts of Ficus carica exerted significant antiproliferative effects on HCT-116 (IC50 values 239, 343, 177, 299, 206 µg/ml) and HT-29 cells (IC50 values 207, 249, 230, 261, 182 µg/ml) after 48h of treatment. Furthermore, treatment with different extracts of Ficus carica induced apoptosis in both HT-29 and HCT-116 cancer cells. Leaves and latex extracts of Ficus carica showed the strongest antiproliferative activities. Overall, our results showed that these natural products are strong apoptosis inducers which suggest their use of for therapeutic purposes.

LC-QTOF characterization of non-anthocyanic flavonoids in four Tunisian fig varieties.

Flavonoids are compounds characterized by antioxidant activity, and their intake in the human diet is considered useful for health and nutrition. Non-anthocyanic flavonoids in 4 different types of Tunisian figs belonging to the smyrna-type Ficus carica varieties known as Kholi, Tchich Asal, Himri, and Bidhi were studied by liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry UHPLC-QqTOF. Twenty-two compounds belonging to the classes of flavanones (naringenin and eriodictyol), flavones (3 apigenin and 5 luteolin derivatives), and flavonols (2 kaempferol and 7 quercetin derivatives) were identified. Three O-methoxy flavonols (tamarixetin, syringetin, and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside) were found in figs for the first time. Total content of non-anthocyanic flavonoids found in dark varieties (between 410 and 830 mg/kg) show that these F. carica are fruits qualitatively and quantitatively rich of dietary polyphenols.

Phytochemical content, Fatty acids composition and antioxidant potential of different pomegranate parts: Comparison between edible and non edible varieties grown in Tunisia.

Few comparative studies were interested between edible and non-edible pomegranate varieties. In the present study, flowers, leaves, juice and peel of two pomegranate varieties, ornamental variety "Nana" (NV) and sweet variety "Tounsi" (TV) were compared for their phenolic contents and antioxidant activity. Seeds oils were compared also for their fatty acids (FA) composition.Results showed that peel and juice of NV contained higher content in tannins, Flavonoids and anthocyanins. In contrast, peel and juice of TV were more concentrated in carotenoids and polyphenols. Flowers extracts of TV contained more polyphenols and flavonoids. However leaves from NV provided more polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins. Flowers and leaves proved to be the strongest antioxidants for both varieties. For FA composition, NV was more concentrated in Mono-unsaturated FA (MUFA) however TV contained more Di-unsaturated FA (DiUFA). cis-γ-Linolenic acid was the major FA in NV. Contrariwise punicic acid was the predominant in TV.

Characterization of fig achenes' oil of Ficus carica grown in Tunisia.

This work investigated the composition of the oil extract from achenes of "Kholi" variety of Ficus carica, grown in Tunisia. Fatty acid and sterol compositions were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to flame ionization detector (FID). Furthermore, the antioxidant capacity in fig achenes' oil was assessed by employing two different in vitro assays such as DPPH, ABTS(+) radical scavenging capacities. Our results indicated that the fig achenes' oil is a rich source of bioactive molecules. The soxhlet n-hexane extraction of these achenes produced a total oil yield of 16.24%. The predominant fatty acid was linolenic acid. Concerning phytosterols, the total amount reached 1061.45 mg/100 g with a predominance of Δ(5,23)-stigmastadienol (73.78%). Regarding antioxidant activities, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 215.86 µg/ml and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was 95.25 mM. These data indicate that fig achenes oil of F. carica could be potentially useful in food and pharmaceutical applications.

Streptomyces flavogriseus HS1: isolation and characterization of extracellular proteases and their compatibility with laundry detergents.

The present study describes the isolation of a new protease producing Streptomyces strain HS1 and the biochemical characterization of the secreted proteases. By sequencing of its noted 16S rDNA, HS1 strain was found to have a 100% identity with Streptomyces flavogriseus. The highest protease production was found using FermII media. In these conditions maximum protease production (99 U/mL) was obtained after 96 h incubation at 30°C and 150 rpm. HS1 strain produced at least five proteases as revealed by zymogram technique. The enzyme preparation exhibited activity over a broad range of pH (5-11) and temperature (25-70°C). Optimum activity was observed at a pH of 7.0 and a temperature of 50°C. Proteolytic activity was significantly unaffected by Ca(2+) and Mg(2+). EDTA and PMSF highly decreased the original activity. The crude extracellular proteases showed high stability when used as a detergent additive. These properties offer an interesting potential for enzymatic hydrolysis at the industrial level.