Phytochemical and Toxicity Assay of Meistera chinensis Fruit Extract: The Endemic Plant of Southeast Sulawesi

Abstract

Meistera chinensis is one of the endemic plants of Southeast Sulawesi from the Zingiberaceae family which has a large number of species and an interesting potential to be developed as a source medicine. However, there is no report on neither chemical contents nor biological activities of the plant. The aim of this study was to identify the phytochemicals by Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) and toxicity of Meistera chinensis fruit using the Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT). The fruit of Meistera chinensis was macerated with ethanol 95% for 3x24 h, and the solvent was evaporated in a vacuum. The toxicity of the extract was determined by the brine shrimp lethality test use with concentrations of 10, 100, 250, 500, and 750 μg / mL according of death of Artemia Salina larvae and calculated by determining the LC50 score. The results showed that the phytochemical screening by UV-Vis 254 nm and 366 nm indicates presence phenolics, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, alkaloids, and saponins. In the BSLT assay of ethanol extracts of the Meistera chinensis fruit were found highly toxic to the Artemia salina with IC50 values of 5.02 ± 1.11 mg / mL and control 2.26 ± 0.60 mg / mL. These findings indicate that the extract of Meistera chinensis fruit is very potential to be used as a medicinal plant and can be developed as a natural anticancer product..