Anticancer Activity of Methanol Extract of Ficus carica Leaves and Fruits Against Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Necrosis in Huh7it Cells

Abstract

The polyphenol plant extracts have previously been demonstrated to act as chemopreventive and anticancer agents. Ficus carica is a rich source of polyphenols, yet its antioxidant and anticancer activities remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to determine the anticancer activity of F carica leaf and fruit extracts by investigating their impact on proliferation, apoptosis, and Huh7it cell necrosis. Leaves and fruits were extracted using methanol, and the phytochemical contents were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The antioxidant activity was measured using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl method. Anticancer activities were examined through MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay on Huh7it liver cancer cells. The apoptosis and necrosis conditions were examined using Annexin biomarkers V-PI and later analyzed in flow cytometry. F carica leaves and fruit examined were found to have strong antioxidant activities with IC50 values of 7.9875 µg/mL and 13.402 µg/mL, respectively. MTT assay results indicated F carica leaves and fruit had IC50 values >653 μg/mL and >2000 μg/mL, respectively. The flow cytometry analysis indicated a higher percentage of Huh7it apoptosis and necrosis in leaf extracts compared with fruit extracts. The difference in anticancer activity was attributed to differing compounds present in each extract.