## 4 Discussion  
The current article focused on the antiradical, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of _F. umbellata_. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) is a stable free radical whose electrons can delocalize and form free radicals that do not dimerize from one another; leading to its visible discoloration from purple to yellow and absorption at 517 nm. So, DPPH assay is one of the most adequate methods to assess antioxidant activities of various natural substances in vitro because of its fastness, reliability, and reproducibility [30; 31; 32]. The DPPH reactivity in the presence of _F. umbellata_ extracts carried out in this study consisted of tracking the inactivation of the DPPH radical by the different extracts over time by recording the absorbance every 15 min for 60 min. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging abilities are mainly based on the electron transfer ability of _Ficus umbellata's_ antioxidant components. Several works have highlighted the DPPH and ABTS antiradical activities of ethanolic and methanolic aqueous extracts of leaves, fruits, banks, and roots of medicinal plants, such as _Cassia species_, _Olive tree_, _Citrus species_, _Cannelia sinensis_ (L.) _[PERSON]. [PERSON]_, _Ficus pengalensis_ L., _Ficus racemosa_ L. and _Ficus carica_[18; 19; 33; 34; 35]. Methanolic extract have exhibited stronger scavenging activities than aqueous extract at the tested concentrations. This could be due to its richness in phenol compounds more specifically flavonoids and flavonoids, as shown by [22]. This variability in phenol compound content and antiradical activities in both extracts is due to the polarity of the different compounds toward water and methanol [36]. In addition, it is well known that phenol compound content is closely related to free radical scavenging activities [33; 37; 38]. The total antioxidant capacity assay of _Ficus umbellatta_ extracts revealed that FU\({}_{\text{MeOH}}\) exhibited higher capacity than FU\({}_{\text{aq}}\), confirming that aqueous and alcoholic extracts of some Ficus varieties have been shown to possess high total antioxidant activity [37; 39; 40]. The high total antioxidant capacity of FU\({}_{\text{MeOH}}\) is correlated to its high content in secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids [20]. These are able to donate electrons to transform reactive species into non-reactive and more stable compounds [41]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**\% Inhibition of Paw Edema**} \\ \hline
**Time (h)** & **Diclo5** & **FU 50** & **FU 200** \\ \hline
0.5 & 28.68 \(\pm\) 2.31 & 27.56 \(\pm\) 2.16 & 33.75 \(\pm\) 1.74 \\ \hline
1 & 46.41 \(\pm\) 2.85 & 47.88 \(\pm\) 2.69 & 51.88 \(\pm\) 0.94 \\ \hline
2 & 56.93 \(\pm\) 2.98 & 48.75 \(\pm\) 2.52 * & 56.13 \(\pm\)1.09 \\ \hline
3 & 66.31 \(\pm\) 2.29 & 51.51 \(\pm\) 2.92 *** & 55.06 \(\pm\) 1.51 ** \\ \hline
4 & 70.77 \(\pm\) 1.00 & 58.81 \(\pm\) 2.51 ** & 68.02 \(\pm\) 1.64 \\ \hline
5 & 72.98 \(\pm\) 7.51 & 66.24 \(\pm\) 1.28 & 71.16 \(\pm\) 1.72 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Data are presented as the means \(\pm\) SD of edema inhibition percentage. * \(p\) \(<\) 0.05, **_p_ \(<\) 0.01; *** \(p\) \(<\) 0.001 compared to the positive control. Diclo5: positive control (animals treated with diclofenac sodium at 5 mg/kg + 0.9% NaCl p.o.); **FU50:** animals treated with the methanolic extract of _F. umbellatta_ at 50 mg/kg + 0.9% NaCl p.o.; **FU200:** animals treated with the methanolic extract of _F. umbellatta_ at 200 mg/kg + 0.9% NaCl p.o.  
\end{table} 
Table 7: Effects of sodium diclofenac and _F. umbellatta_ extracts on carrageenan induced acute inflammation. Ferrous ions are involved in many physiological processes leading to the production and accumulation of free radicals in the body causing much damage. Therefore, the ferrous reducing antioxidant power of an extract or a pure compound could be of a great importance to alleviate neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic diseases, anemias, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers [42].