α-Glucosidase, α-amylase inhibition kinetics, in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion, and apoptosis inducing abilities of Ficus microcarpa L. f. and Ficus racemosa L. fruit polysaccharides

A rich source of nutrients, figs have a number of clinically validated benefits. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, and the antidiabetic and anticancer activity of Ficus microcarpa (FMP) and F. racemosa (FRP) fruits polysaccharides. The pre-digested FMP revealed higher sugar content (721 ± 14.81 mg glucose equivalents/g sample) than FRP. After in vitro digestion, isolated fruit polysaccharides showed effective uptake with over 80% sugar loss. Free radicals and enzymatic inhibition after gastric digestion have been significantly modified, demonstrating the effective absorption of FMP and FRP through the intestine. Conversely, after the continuous digestion, the nutritional content of the isolated polysaccharides was gradually decreased compared to the pre-digested sample. At 30 µg/mL concentration of FMP and FRP was inhibited by 50% of breast cancer cells. The present study reveals the potential uptake of FMP and FRP as nutritional supplements in the future. Graphical abstract