Chemical composition and in vitro and in vivo biological assortment of fixed oil extracted from Ficus benghalensis L.

Abstract

Ficus benghalensis (Moraceae) is widely found in Asian Countries and has been traditionally prescribed owing to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and muscle relaxation properties. Purposely, in this study, phytochemical composition and isolation of fixed oil from F. benghalensis were comprehended for the first time. The fatty acids were isolated from hexane (HO) and chloroform (CO) fractions and were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The fatty acid ester was identified by comparing the mass spectra with the equipment library. The major fatty acids identified from HO extract were oleic acid methyl ester (42.67), palmitic acid methyl ester (28.79), linoleic acid methyl ester (11.36), docosanoic acid methyl ester (8.83), and stearic acid methyl ester (3.21). Similarly, the major constituents of CO fraction were palmitic acid methyl ester (65.94), oleic acid methyl ester (10.18), stearic acid methyl ester (9.15), elaidic acid methyl ester (5.32), and linoleic acid methyl ester (3.94). Both of the isolated fixed oils were screened for antibacterial, antioxidant, analgesic, and muscle relaxant effects. Regarding the antibacterial effect, the maximum zone of inhibition against Bacillus subtilis was 26.32 and 25.09 mm by HO and CO fractions, respectively. Both HO and CO demonstrated significant antioxidant effects, i.e., 70.23 and 72.09 μg/mL at a higher dose (100 μg/mL). Similarly, both experimented fractions demonstrated significant analgesic effects while the muscle relaxant effect and sedative were non-significant. Results of the present study conclude that fixed oils are the significant antibacterial and analgesic.