Comparative Botanical and Phytochemical Evaluation of Medicinally Important Stem Bark of Ficus species

Tebuconazole-induced toxicity and the protective effect of Ficus carica extract in Neotropical fruit-eating bats

Tebuconazole (TEB) is a triazole fungicide widely used in agriculture known to cause metabolic and endocrine disorders in mammals. Several plant extracts have shown to be beneficial against pesticide effects due to their hepatoprotective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As fruit bats play a critical role in rainforest regeneration and are constantly exposed to pesticides, we aimed at evaluating TEB-induced toxicity and the possible protective effect of the Ficus carica plant extract in Neotropical fruit-eating bats (Artibeus lituratus). Bats were captured and assigned to 4 experimental groups, offered: 1) CTL (n = 6): papaya; 2) DMSO (n = 6): papaya treated with 1.25% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO); 3) TEB (n = 6): papaya treated with tebuconazole (commercial formulation) 0.1%; and 4) TEBFC (n = 6): papaya treated with tebuconazole 0.1% and Ficus carica extract (20%) in DMSO (1.25%). After seven days of exposure, TEB bats showed increased lipid peroxidation, increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, vascular congestion and inflammatory infiltrate in the liver, and increased serum transaminase enzyme activities. We found the same alterations in oxidative stress parameters in the breast muscles of TEB-exposed bats. In the testes, all oxidative stress markers were increased in TEB bats and corroborate findings of histopathological and increased serum testosterone levels observed following TEB exposure. The co-administration of the fungicide with the F. carica plant extract attenuated most oxidative stress markers in exposed bats' liver and testes and decreased liver damage, but failed to revert the steroid imbalance caused by the fungicide exposure.

Study of adsorption of anionic dyes over biofabricated crystalline α-MnO2 nanoparticles

The leaf extract of Ficus retusa plant was used for fabrication of α-MnO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). The extract was utilized as a reducing agent for green synthesis of nanomaterial. The synthesis of nanocrystals was confirmed using different analytical techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The synthesis of NPs was studied over a wide range of temperatures from 80 to 800 °C. It was found that perfectly crystalline α-MnO₂ NPs were successfully synthesized at 800 °C. The synthesized NPs were applied as an adsorbent for adsorption of azo dyes such as methyl red (MR) and methyl orange (MO) which are released as wastes from industries into water bodies and pollute the water. The removal efficiency was analysed and optimized depending on various parameters like pH, concentration of NPs, and contact time. The experimental data was explained by three isotherm models, viz. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of adsorption were also carried out, which depicted that the adsorption process of both dyes was exothermic in nature and followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The results confirmed that NPs are easily fabricated through a green route and prove to be an excellent adsorbent for the removal of MO and MR dyes from their aqueous solutions. The maximum adsorption capacity of NPs synthesized was found to be 116.1 mg g^-1 and 74.02 mg g^-1 for MO and MR dyes, respectively. Graphical abstract.

Ficus retusa-stabilized gold and silver nanoparticles: Controlled synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and sensing properties

Ficus retusa was used as reducing and stabilizing agent in the green synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles with high dispersion stability and controllable size and shape. The controlling of reaction conditions i.e. contact time, extract quantity, metal concentration, and pH value enables the tuning of the particle size and size distribution of the metal nanoparticles. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to follow the spectral profile changes of the surface plasmon resonance of the metal nanoparticles due to different treatments. The surface plasmon resonance varies between 400 and 432 nm and between 522 and 554 nm for silver and gold nanoparticles, respectively, depending on the different reaction parameters. Atomic force and transmission electron microscopy results confirmed the success of preparation of spherical silver (15 nm) and gold (10-25 nm) nanoparticles with narrow size-distribution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested the phenolic compounds play the key role in the reduction and stabilizing of metal ions. The colorimetric sensitivity of silver and gold nanoparticles to detect the presence of heavy metals in water was studied.