CYTOTOXICITY AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF Boerhavia adscendens Willd.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56892/bima.v6i02.359Keywords:
Cytotoxicity, antioxidant, brine shrimp, Boerhavia adscendensAbstract
Boerhavia adscendens (B. adscendens) is a medicinal plant with widespread use in folk medicine.
The present study was aimed at evaluation of the cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of the
crude ethanol extract of B. adscendens. The cytotoxicity of the extract was determined using
brine shrimp lethality assay while its antioxidant activity was assessed using ferric reducing
antioxidant potential (FRAP). The study revealed that the B. adscendens extract has moderate
cytotoxic effect against the brine shrimp larvae with LC50 of 100 μg/mL relative to K2Cr2O4
standard with LC50 of 0.01 μg/mL. The FRAP determination for B. adscendens extract yielded an
IC50 of 34.56 μg/mL while the ascorbic acid standard had IC50 value of 31.25 μg/mL. These
results demonstrate that the B. adscendens ethanol extract has moderate cytotoxicity and quite a
significant antioxidant activity. Consequently, these findings may partly explain the usefulness
of B. adscendens in traditional medicine.
