Himalayan Ficus palmata L. Fruit Extract Showed In Vivo Central and Peripheral Analgesic Activity Involving COX-2 and Mu Opioid Receptors

Analgesic drugs like morphine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs exhibit several harmful effects. Here, we show for the first time the analgesic activity of Ficus palmata L. fruit extract (FPFE) on different analgesic rat models along with the in silico studies of some of the main phytochemicals of this plant. We performed in vivo pain models, along with in silico docking studies against the active site of COX-2 protein and mu-opioid receptors. A significant (p < 0.05) analgesic effect of FPFE was observed, and it was found that rutin has good pose and score as compared to diclofenac and morphinan antagonist (X-ligand), and psoralen has binding affinity almost equal to diclofenac, but a lower binding affinity as compared to rutin. The results proved that F. palmata fruits have the potential to ameliorate painful conditions.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated for the first time the significant analgesic activity of Ficus palmata L. fruit extract, and highlighted the potential of the plant chemicals rutin and psoralen in ameliorating painful conditions.