Total phenol, flavonoid, and individual phenolic acid contents and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of methanol extracts from Ficus cordata ssp. salicifolia

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the total phenol, flavonoid, and individual phenolic acid contents and the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of methanol extracts from Ficus cordata ssp. salicifolia. Spectrophotometry and gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were used for chemical analyses, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was conducted to determine the antioxidant activity. The cytotoxic activity was assessed against MCF7 (human breast adenocarcinoma), A2780 (human ovary adenocarcinoma), HT29 (human colon adenocarcinoma), and MRC5 (normal human fetal lung fibroblast) using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The total content of phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of the studied dry leaf, stem bark, twig, and fruit extracts were between 13.14 and 22.94 mg·GAE g−1 dry weight, 8.03 and 12.72 mg·QE g−1 dry weight, and 75.59% and 83.96%, respectively. Ten individual phenolic acids were quantified in the studied plant parts. The prominent phenolic acid was p-hydroxybenzoic acid, followed by vanillic acid. Methanolic fruit extracts exhibited promising cytotoxic activity against MCF7 (IC50: 21.11 μg·mL−1). Additionally, A2780 cell lines responded very well to all the extracts, with an IC50 from 8.16 to 13.72 μg·mL−1, except for the fruit extract, which was 47.39 μg·mL−1. The leaf extract showed significant cytotoxicity against HT29 cell lines, with an IC50 of 8.81 μg·mL−1. All extracts showed IC50 values ranging from 24.68 to 56.15 μg·mL−1 on normal cells. Further examination of the plant parts in this study could identify compounds accounting for the observed antioxidant and cytotoxic activities and might represent potential novel anticancer drugs.