Toxicity and antioxidant activities of extract of N-hexane, H2 O, and ethyl acetate from the leaves of durian, durio zibethinus L.

Abstract

Steroids are secondary metabolites abundantly found in plants. Traditionally, the leaves of durian, Durio zibethinus L. (Malvaceae) have been used as an antipyretic and analgesic by communities in Indonesia. This research was performed to discover the potency of some extracts from the leaves of D. zibethinus L. as antioxidants and investigate their toxicity. The extracts of durian leaves, D. zibethinus L. was carried out with 96% ethanol, then partitioned with water, n-hexane, and ethyl acetate respectively. The antioxidant and toxicity screening was done by Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) and free radical scavenging method using diphenyl-1-picylhydrazyl (DPPH). Brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT) gave a toxicity LC50 of 195.13; 85.37; and 453.78 ppm for n-hexane, ethyl acetate and water extracts, respectively. Free radical scavenging method using diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl gave an antioxidant activity IC50 90.58; 48.04; and 171.78 ppm for water, n-hexane, and ethyl acetate extracts, respectively. Result of the studies paves the way for further studies on isolation and characterization of the chemical compound as antioxidant and anticancer.