# Antimutagenic and Anticarcinogenic Evidence of the Genus Ficus L

**Authors:** Eduardo Madrigal-Santillán, Jacqueline Portillo-Reyes, Luis Fernando García-Melo, José A. Morales-González, Marvin Antonio Soriano Ursúa, Manuel Sánchez-Gutiérrez, Jeannett A. Izquierdo-Vega, Aleli Julieta Izquierdo-Vega, Isela Álvarez-González, Ángel Morales-González, Nikola Batina, Eduardo Madrigal-Bujaidar

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/plants15040654 · 2026-02-20

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the potential of Ficus plants to protect genetic material from damage, highlighting their bioactive compounds and compiling existing research.

## Contribution

The paper compiles in vitro and in vivo studies on Ficus species' genoprotective effects, offering a comprehensive overview.

## Key findings

- Ficus species contain diverse bioactive compounds with genoprotective potential.
- The study compiles multiple in vitro and in vivo findings on Ficus plants' protective effects on genetic material.
- The review promotes further scientific research on Ficus plants' protective capacity.

## Abstract

Among the most important species of Ficus L. genus are F. deltoidea, F. exasperata, F. sycomorus, F. religiosa, F. microcarpa, F. hirta Vahl., F. benghalensis, F. racemosa, F. elastica, and F. carica. The genus has more than 30 traditional ethnomedicinal uses, attributed to the combination of different bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, (flavanols, flavones, flavonols, isoflavones, chalcones, anthocyanins), phenolic acids (hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids), terpenes (triterpenes, tetraterpenes, diterpenes, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes), phytosterols, coumarins, hydroxybenzoates, phenylpropanoids, chlorins, pheophytins, megastigmans, chitinases, organic acids, fatty acids, amino acids, alkaloids, and glycosides. With this in mind, the objective of this manuscript was to conduct a scientific search in the main electronic databases (PubMed, SciELO, Latindex, Redalyc, BiologyBrowser, ScienceResearch, ScienceDirect, World Wide Science, Web of Science, Academic Journals, Etnobotany, Scopus, and Google Scholar) to gather information on published research regarding the genoprotective potential of the Ficus L. genus. Unlike most scientific articles, which primarily describe the individual characteristics and properties of each species, this document compiles the largest number of studies (in vitro and in vivo) on Ficus plants described by different authors. Thus, we aim to promote more detailed scientific research and expand studies on the protective capacity of these angiosperm plants to the genetic material.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** coumarins (PubChem CID 54678486), fatty acids (PubChem CID 264), glycosides (PubChem CID 637579)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** BAX (BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 581] {aka BCL2L4}, ALOX5 (arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase) [NCBI Gene 240] {aka 5-LO, 5-LOX, 5LPG, LOG5}, SI (sucrase-isomaltase) [NCBI Gene 6476], PTGS1 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1) [NCBI Gene 5742] {aka COX1, COX3, PCOX1, PES-1, PGG/HS, PGHS-1}, BCL2 (BCL2 apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 596] {aka Bcl-2, PPP1R50}
- **Diseases:** obesity (MESH:D009765), noncommunicable diseases (MESH:D000073296), carcinogenesis (MESH:D063646), sarcoma (MESH:D012509), metabolic diseases (MESH:D008659), genetic diseases (MESH:D030342), MN (MESH:D048629), squamous cell carcinomas (MESH:D002294), oral squamous cell carcinoma (MESH:D000077195), Inflammation (MESH:D007249), degenerative diseases (MESH:D019636), injury to (MESH:D014947), skin irritation (MESH:D012871), respiratory diseases (MESH:D012140), acute monocytic leukemia (MESH:D007948), chromosomal abnormalities (MESH:D002869), benign tumors (MESH:D009369), diabetes (MESH:D003920), neuropsychiatric disorders (MESH:D001523), asthma (MESH:D001249), edema (MESH:D004487), pigmentation (MESH:D010859), abdominal pain (MESH:D015746), triple-negative breast (MESH:D064726), papillomatosis (MESH:D010212), lymphoma (MESH:D008223), rhinitis (MESH:D012220), allergies (MESH:D004342), necrosis (MESH:D009336), hepatocellular carcinoma (MESH:D006528), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (MESH:D000077274), metastasis (MESH:D009362), leukemia (MESH:D007938), colon cancer (MESH:D015179), death (MESH:D003643), carcinogenic (MESH:D011230), cardiovascular diseases (MESH:D002318), cytotoxic (MESH:D064420)
- **Chemicals:** tetraterpenes (MESH:D002338), methylene blue (MESH:D008751), 6-O-acyl-beta-D-glucosyl-beta-sitosterol (MESH:C584362), apigenin (MESH:D047310), bortezomib (MESH:D000069286), terpenes (MESH:D013729), NaF (MESH:D012969), catechin (MESH:D002392), phenolic acids (MESH:C017616), Fe (MESH:D007501), latex (MESH:D007840), hydroxybenzoates (MESH:D062385), Cu (MESH:D003300), alkaloids (MESH:D000470), luteolin-8-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside (MESH:C065886), Trolox (MESH:C010643), menadione (MESH:D024483), histamine (MESH:D006632), benzo[a]pyrene (MESH:D001564), chalcones (MESH:D047188), salicylic acid (MESH:D020156), Zn (MESH:D015032), carrageenan (MESH:D002351), sugars (MESH:D000073893), quercetin (MESH:D011794), carboxylic acid (MESH:D002264), hydroxycinnamic acids (MESH:D003373), pectins (MESH:D010368), LPO (MESH:D008054), phytosterols (MESH:D010840), flavonols (MESH:D044948), chlorophyll (MESH:D002734), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (MESH:C004931), glutamine (MESH:D005973), citric (MESH:D019343), O-methyltylophorinidine (MESH:C455126), fructose (MESH:D005632), sesquiterpenes (MESH:D012717), lipid (MESH:D008055), ABTS (MESH:C002502), morin (MESH:C008548), sucrose (MESH:D013395), DES (MESH:D004054), anthocyanins (MESH:D000872), coumarins (MESH:D003374), flavones (MESH:D047309), luteolin (MESH:D047311), Ca (MESH:D002118), glycosides (MESH:D006027), diterpenes (MESH:D004224), Flavonoids (MESH:D005419), Mg (MESH:D008274), chlorogenic acid (MESH:D002726), glucose (MESH:D005947), Mn (MESH:D008345), serotonin (MESH:D012701), 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MESH:C022616), chlorins (MESH:C006969), dextran (MESH:D003911), Fig@CA (-)
- **Species:** Myrmecocephalus concinnus (species) [taxon 1143072], Armoracia rusticana (horseradish, species) [taxon 3704], Ficus benghalensis (banyan, species) [taxon 309271], Ficus carica (common fig, species) [taxon 3494], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Ficus religiosa (bo tree, species) [taxon 66387], Ficus racemosa (cluster fig, species) [taxon 100569], Bos taurus (bovine, species) [taxon 9913], Flustrellidra hispida (species) [taxon 97271], Ficus sycomorus (mulberry fig, species) [taxon 182129], Ficus (genus) [taxon 319808], Ficus botryocarpa (species) [taxon 100544], Ficus formosana (species) [taxon 1127366], Ficus hirta (species) [taxon 309429], Favites abdita (species) [taxon 126655], Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse-ear cress, species) [taxon 3702], Ficus cordata subsp. salicifolia (subspecies) [taxon 106724], Zea mays (maize, species) [taxon 4577], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Ficus exasperata (species) [taxon 459060], Vicia faba (broad bean, species) [taxon 3906], Ficus benjamina (benjamin fig, species) [taxon 182105]
- **Cell lines:** SK-N-SH — Homo sapiens (Human), Neuroblastoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0531), HONE-1 — Homo sapiens (Human), Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_8706), HL60 — Homo sapiens (Human), Adult acute myeloid leukemia with maturation, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0002), V79 — Cricetulus griseus (Chinese hamster), Spontaneously immortalized cell line (CVCL_2234), HT29 — Homo sapiens (Human), Colon adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0320), MCF10A — Homo sapiens (Human), Spontaneously immortalized cell line (CVCL_0598), KB — Homo sapiens (Human), Human papillomavirus-related endocervical adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0372), Huh7it — Homo sapiens (Human), Adult hepatocellular carcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0336)

## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12944230/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12944230