Journal of Advances in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Aims: The aim of this study was to find out the cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of the methanolic extract of leaf of Antidesma bunius (Family Euphorbiaceae).

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in August 2017 in the Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Materials and Methods: Cytotoxicity activity was determined against brine shrimp nauplii by using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Vincristine Sulphate was used as a positive control. The antibacterial activity was evaluated using the disk diffusion technique. Kanamycin was used as standard.

Results: Crude methanolic extract and its different fractions demonstrated variable cytotoxic activity. Especially, ethyl acetate soluble fraction displayed considerable toxicity toward brine shrimps. The LC₅₀ value of ethyl acetate soluble fraction was 0.589μg/ml, dichloromethane soluble fraction was 0.737μg/ml, n-hexane soluble fraction was 0.894μg/ml and crude methanolic extract was 0.913μg/ml. The LC₅₀ value of standard vincristine sulphate was 0.545μg/ml. The n-hexane soluble fraction exhibited the highest inhibition against microbial growth especially against E.coli DH5 by having a zone of inhibition of 19mm.

Conclusion: Observing the studies, it can be concluded that ethyl acetate soluble fraction of A. bunius leaves possess good cytotoxic activity and n-hexane soluble fraction possess good antibacterial activity. Hence, further studies are suggested to identify the exact bioactive compounds that could be accounted for its pharmacological effects.