Exploring the Anticonvulsant Activity of Aqueous Extracts of Ficus benjamina L. Figs in Experimentally Induced Convulsions

Abstract

Background. Ficus benjamina L. is an evergreen tree, native to Southeast Asia, and often known as a weeping fig. Its latex and fruit extracts are used by indigenous cultures to cure skin conditions, inflammation, vomiting, leprosy, malaria, and nasal ailments. The aqueous extract of the figs of Ficus benjamina L. has various therapeutic values, including biological activities on the central nervous system. Materials and Methods. The extract of the dried figs of Ficus benjamina L. (FBE) was prepared by defatting with petroleum ether for 16 h followed by soxhelation with 70% methanol (1 : 10 w/v) for 24 h, and standardization of the extract was carried out using HPLC with 5-HT as a standard. Electroconvulsions were induced by the maximal electroshock model, and chemoconvulsions were induced by picrotoxin. Results. The HPLC chromatogram of the Ficus benjamina L. extract showed an absorption peak with a retention time of 1.797 min, similar to that observed with standard serotonin (5-HT) solution. In the maximal electroshock model, FBE significantly reduced the duration of the tonic hind limb extensor and extensor-to-flexor ratio (E/F ratio) in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, in the picrotoxin-induced seizure model, FBE increased the seizure latency and decreased the duration of tonic-clonic convulsions dose-dependently. We confirmed the anticonvulsant activity of the FBE extract as it attenuated both maximal electroshock and picrotoxin-induced convulsions. Conclusion. The in vivo studies revealed that the Ficus extract was found to protect the animals in electroshock-induced and picrotoxin-induced convulsions.

Study of MDM2 as Prognostic Biomarker in Brain-LGG Cancer and Bioactive Phytochemicals Inhibit the p53-MDM2 Pathway: A Computational Drug Development Approach

“…As part of the study’s pharmacokinetic components, Lipinski’s five-rule pharmacophore properties (molecular weight, rotational bond count, logP value, hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, and degree of infringement) were evaluated for all selected ligands using Lipinski’s five-rule approach (violation level) [ 72 , 73 , 74 ]. All the selected natural bioactive phytochemicals possessed better human intestinal absorption, better BBB value, AMES toxicity, no carcinogenicity, and no hepatotoxicity for both the human and mice research model, except for the selected control compound for our research study [ 75 , 76 , 77 ].…”