Constituintes quimicos e atividades biologicas das folhas e cascas do caule de ficus maxima mill. (moraceae)

TL;DR

This study characterizes chemical constituents of Ficus maxima leaves and bark, revealing compounds linked to its traditional medicinal uses and demonstrating anti-inflammatory and CYP1A1 inhibitory activities.

Contribution

The paper provides the first comprehensive chemical profile of Ficus maxima and links its constituents to biological activities, supporting its therapeutic potential.

Findings

45 metabolites identified, including flavonoids, triterpenes, and alkaloids.

Stem bark extract showed significant antinociceptive activity.

Leaves' dichloromethane fraction inhibited CYP1A1 in vitro.

Abstract

Ficus maxima (Moraceae, subgenus Pharmacosycea), known in Brazil as "caxinguba", occurs in northern Brazil and in Mato Grosso. Its leaves and fruits are important food sources for birds and mammals, and the species is traditionally used by Indigenous peoples of Central and South America to treat intestinal parasites, gingivitis, internal inflammation, and snakebites. Despite its medicinal relevance, studies on its chemistry and biological properties are still limited. This work aimed to characterize the chemical constituents of F. maxima leaves and stem bark using UPLC-MS-MS and to evaluate the antinociceptive activity and CYP1A inhibition of ethanolic extracts and fractions. Plant material collected in Abaetetuba, Para (October 2013), was extracted and fractionated by silica gel column chromatography. UPLC-MS-MS analyses in positive and negative ion modes enabled putative metabolite identification supported by MS/MS libraries and molecular networking on GNPS. A total of 45 metabolites were identified, including flavonoids, triterpenes, coumarins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, and alkaloids. Major constituents in the leaf extract included triterpene 51, flavonoids 75 and 70, and alkaloid 29. The stem bark ethanolic extract showed marked antinociceptive activity in the inflammatory phase of the formalin test (muscarinic pathway) and 62.6 +/- 9.2% activity in the hot-plate test (opioid pathway). The dichloromethane fraction of the leaves exhibited potent CYP1A1 inhibitory activity in vitro. These findings support the traditional use of F. maxima as an anti-inflammatory resource and associate its major constituents with the observed activities, reinforcing its potential as a therapeutic source that deserves further investigation.