Ficus carica L. (fig ) is one of the first cultivated crops and is as old as humans. This plant has been extensively used as a traditional medicine for treating diseases, such as cough, indigestion, nutritional anemia, and tuberculosis. However, the physiological activity of fig leaves on oral cancer is as yet unknown. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effect of methanol extracts of Ficus carica (MeFC) and the mechanism of cell death in human FaDu hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells. MeFC decreased the viability of oral cancer (FaDu) cells but did not affect the viability of normal (L929) cells, as determined by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and Live and Dead assay. In addition, MeFC induced apoptosis through the proteolytic cleavage of procaspase-3, -9, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), downregulation of Bcl-2, and upregulation of Bax, as determined by 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride staining and western blot analysis. Moreover, a concentration of MeFC without cytotoxicity (0.25 mg/mL) significantly suppressed colony formation, a hallmark of cancer development, and completely inhibited the colony formation at 1 mg/mL. Collectively, these results suggest that MeFC exhibits a potent anticancer effect by suppressing the growth of oral cancer cells and colony formation via caspase- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathways in FaDu human hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells. Therefore, the methanol extract of Ficus carcica leaves provide a natural chemotherapeutic drug for human oral cancer.

Ficus carica L. (common fig), one of the first plants cultivated by humans, originated in the Mediterranean basin and currently grows worldwide, including southwest Asia and South Korea. It has been used as a traditional medicine for treatment of metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases as well as hemorrhoids and skin infections. Its pharmacological properties have recently been studied in detail, but research on the anti-cancer effect of its latex has been only been studied on a limited basis on several cell lines, such prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer activity of the latex of Ficus carica L.and its underlying mechanism in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. (See Ed. note above) We confirmed through SDS-PAGE analysis and gelatinolytic activity analysis that the latex of Ficus carica contains cysteine protease ficin. Our data showed that the latex inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the latex treatment markedly induced apoptosis in FaDu cells as determined by FACS analysis, elevated expression level of cleaved caspase-9, -3 and PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase), and. increased the expression of Bax (pro-apoptotic factor) while decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic factor). Taken together, these results suggested that latex containing the ficin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis by caspase and the Bcl-2 family signaling pathway in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. These findings point to the potential of latex of Ficus carica to provide a novel chemotherapeutic drug due to its growth inhibition effects and induction of apoptosis in human oral cancer cells.

본 실험은 배양액의 농도가 무화과의 생육과 수량에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위하여 수행하였다. 1차 실험에서 배양액의 농도에 따른 무화과 생육은 1/2농도 처리구에서 초장, 엽수, 경경, 착과수가 양호했으며, 엽장과 엽폭은 1/2농도구를 제외한 다른 처리간에는 차이가 없었다. 배양액의 농도에 따른 과식의 평균과중은 토양재배의 38.4g보다 수경재배에서 50.9g으로 높게 나타났고, 과장, 과경, 당도는 처리간의 차이가 없었다. 수확량은 토양재배보다 수경재배에서 월등하게 많았으며, 배양액 1/2농도보다 2/2와 3/2농도에서 높게 나타났다. 무화과의 수경재배에서 저농도에서 양호한 생육을 나타내었으며, 수량은 높은 농도에서 양호하였다. 본 실험의 결과는 무화과의 수량 및 품질증대에 유용하게 활용될 수 있을 것이다.

This experiment was conducted to establish the optimum conditions for high CO2 gas treatment in combination with a proper gas-permeable packaging film to maintain the quality of fig fruit (Ficus carica L). Among the fig fruits with different high CO2 treatments, the quality change was most effectively controlled during storage in the 70%-CO2-treated fig fruit. Harvested fig fruit was packaged using microperforated oriented polypropylene (MP) film to maintain the optimum gas concentrations in the headspace of packaging for the modified-atmosphere system. MP film had an oxygen transmission rate of about 10,295 cm3/m2/day/atm at 25℃. The weight loss, firmness, soluble-solid content (SSC), acidity (pH), skin color (Hunter L, a, b), and decay ratio of the fig fruits were monitored during storage at 5 and 25℃. The results of this study showed that the OPP film, OPP film + 70% CO2, and MP film+70% CO2 were highly effective in reducing the loss rate, firmness and decay occurrence rate of fig fruits that were packaged with them during storage. In the case of using treatments with packages of OPP film and OPP film+70% CO2, however, adverse effects like package bursting or physiological injury of the fig may occur due to the gas pressure or long exposure to CO2. Therefore, the results indicated that MP film containing 70% CO2 can be used as an effective treatment to extend the freshness of fig fruits for storage at a proper low temperature.

무화과를 이용한 기능성 음료의 제조를 위하여 반응표면 분석법에 의하여 무화과의 추출조건에 따른 무화과 유용성분의 추출특성을 모니터링하였다. 수율의 최대값은 66.46%이었으며, 이때의 추출조건은 시료에 대한 용매비 22.08 mL/g, 추출온도 및 추출시간 148.04 min이었다. 총페놀성 화합물 함량은 시료에 대한 용매비 17.87 mL/g, 추출온도 및 추출시간 130.80 min에서 최대 값 을 나타내었으며, 전자공여능은 시료에 대한