Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
ASM Science Journal, 2018;11(2):124-145.
MyJurnal

Abstract

Oxidative stress (OXS) has been associated with many diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis as it can alter cellular components in the body. Oxidative stress can be neutralised by anti-oxidative compounds found in many natural products such as berries, turmeric and figs. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of figs. Fig, or its scientific name Ficus carica (F. carica), is one of the fruits mentioned in the Quran and is known among the Malays as ‘buah tin’. Electronic databases used were Scopus, Ovid, Proquest and Science Direct. The inclusion criteria were studies that utilised the fresh, dried, juice, extract of F. carica, written in English, published within 2007 to 2017, studies carried out in tissue culture and animal studies. Anti-oxidative effect, lipid peroxidation inhibition and anti-inflammatory were the key outcomes in this review. A total of 19 studies met all the criteria. The results showed that treatment with F. carica increased anti-oxidative enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and decreased lipid peroxidation activity. F. carica also reported to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in acute and chronic inflammation. In conclusion, F. carica exhibited anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties.