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Objectives To date, Ficus carica L. cultivar Dottato ( F. carica) has not been studied from a phototoxic point of view. In the present work, aerial components of F. carica from Italy, were examined to assess their antioxidant and phototoxic activity on human melanoma cells. A relationship between antioxidant, phototoxic activities and chemical composition has also been investigated. Materials and methods Coumarin and fatty acid content in F. carica leaves, bark and woody parts were examined and compared by capillary GC and GC/ MS. Polyphenolic content was also determined. Linoleic acid peroxidation and DPPH test were used to assess antioxidant activities, and MTT assay was used to evaluate anti-proliferative activity, on C32 human melanoma cells, after irradiation with a UVA dose of 1.08 J/cm2. Results Leaves demonstrated the best antioxidant and anti-proliferative activity in comparison to bark and wood. In particular, leaves were shown to possess the highest anti-radical activity and inhibition of peroxidation, with IC50 values of 64 and 1.48 μg/ml respectively. The leaves had highest anti-proliferative activity with IC50 value of 3.92 μg/ml. The phytochemical investigation revealed different composition between the coumarins, psoralen and bergapten, fatty acids, polyphenols and flavonoid content among plant parts. Conclusions Data obtained indicate that this type of fig tree may constitute an excellent source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolics, coumarins and fatty acids. This study offers a new perspective in developing others formulations potentially useful in photodynamic therapy for treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To date, plants belonging to the genus Cachrys have not been amply studied. In the present study, aerial components of Cachrys pungens Jan from Italy, were examined to assess their free radical-scavenging and antioxidant activity, and their phototoxicity on A375 melanoma cells. In view of potential pharmaceutical applications, a relationship between antioxidant, phototoxic activities and polyphenolic composition has also been investigated. Materials and methods: Content of sterols, terpenes, fatty acids and coumarins was assessed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and GC. Total phenolic content was also determined. Antioxidant activity of the methanol extract and fractions of C. pungens Jan was assessed using DPPH scavenging assay and β-carotene bleaching test. Plant phototoxicity was also investigated in this human tumour cell line (amelanotic melanoma). Results: Analysis of the chloroform extract was particularly interesting, as it led to identification of many coumarins, of which five were linear and one angular furanocoumarins. Methanol and ethyl acetate fractions exhibited substantial antioxidant activity. Moreover, chloroform extract and isolated coumarin fraction had strong phototoxic activity on UVA-induced A375 cells after irradiation at UVA dose of 1.08 J/cm. Conclusions: Plant-derived natural compounds are an important source for development of cancer-fighting drugs. This study has demonstrated strong phototoxic activity of the coumarin fraction of C. pungens, a plant which, to our knowledge, has never been studied before. This investigation offers a new perspective for developing other formulations potentially useful in photodynamic therapy for treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers as well as melanomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]