Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) is a cactus that is widely cultivated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia especially in the Taif region due to its favorable weather for growing, and it has benefits as a food and traditional medicine. The aim of the current study was to chemically characterize Opuntia ficus-indica seed oil from Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, using GC-MS and HPLC analysis and evaluate its antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and anticancer activities. Linolenic acid was the dominating fatty acid in OFI oil, followed by oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid. Total tocopherol (α-, β-, Ɣ-tocopherol) was found to be 24.02 μg/mL. Campesterol was the main phytosterol, followed by γ- & β -sitosterol, and Stigmasterol. The phenolic components scored 30.5 mg gallic acid equivalent per ml of oil with 89.2% antioxidant activity (% DPPH radical inhibition) at 200 µL/mL of OFI oil. OFI oil showed an inhibition efficacy against microbial strains especially Saccharomyces cervisiae with a diameter (28.3 ± 0.4), MBC (15 µg/mL) and MIC bacteriostatic (10 µg/mL). While OFI oil had no effect against Aspergillus niger, OFI oil showed weak inhibitory activity against A-2780 (Ovarian carcinoma) cell line, although it showed significant inhibitory activity against PC-3 (Prostate carcinoma) cell line. OFI oil exhibited an antiviral effect (22.67 ± 2.79%) at 300 µg/mL of Oil against herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) virus. The bioactive compounds of OFI oil, as well as its main biological activities, make it a promising candidate for the non-communicable disease management.
Keywords: Opuntia ficus-indica; antibacterial; antifungal; antioxidant; antiviral; cytotoxicity; fixed oils.