Food preservatives can break food safety worldwide; herein, we studied the mitigating effect of Ficus carica (FC) on hepato-renal
injury resulting from monosodium glutamate (MSG) or metanil yellow (MY) as a common food preservative. Rats were assigned
into five groups; Control, MSG (400 mg/kg), MY (200 mg/kg), FC+MSG (received FC plus MSG), and FC+MY group (received
FC plus MY). The antioxidant properties of FC were evaluated. The results revealed the antioxidant potency of FC leave extract.
MSG/MY evoked a hepato-renal injury indicated by marked elevations in their biochemical functions. Besides, oxidative damage
was also initiated represented by significant increases inMDA levels and decreases in GSH content and SOD activity accompanied
by apoptotic cascade (increases in Bax/Bcl2 ratio and caspase3 expression). The molecular docking ascertained the interaction
between MSG/MY and cellular antioxidants. However, FC was able to reduce the MSG/MY-induced oxidative stress, apoptosis,
and histopathological alterations as well as improve the liver and kidney functions. In the molecular docking model, the natural
bioactive compounds of FC explored high affinities for binding with Bax and caspase-3 abrogating the induced apoptosis. The
antioxidant potential of FC mitigated the hepato-renal damage in rats caused by MSG or MY.