Phytochemical constituents, cytotoxic, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the leaves and fruits of Ficus salicifolia

The investigation aimed to assess the phytochemical content, antioxidant properties, and antibacterial and cytotoxicity of methanolic extracts of Ficus salicifolia fruits and leaves. Quantitative phytochemical examination indicated that the fruit extract possessed higher levels of phenolics (103.98 mg GAE/g DW), and tannins (43.02 mg TAE/g DW) compared to the leaf extract. Conversely, the leaf extract had higher levels of flavonoids (34.17 ± 0.89 mg QE/g) and flavanols (17.72 mg RE/g) than the fruit extract. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified and quantified gallic acid, rutin, and quercetin. Fruits had higher rutin levels, while leaves had more gallic acid and quercetin. Antioxidant activity was assessed using: 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The fruit extract showed better antioxidant activity in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, while the leaf extract had a higher TAC (319.24 AAE/g DW) compared to the fruit extract (224.48 AAE/g DW). Cytotoxicity, tested with the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay against MCF7 cells, showed IC ₅₀ values of 114.47 ± 3.45μg/mL for fruit extracts and 255.32 ± 2.76 μg/mL for leaf extracts. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected twenty-three and twenty-two phytochemical substances in fruit and leaf extracts, respectively.