Phytochemical Screening,

Cytotoxicity, and Antioxidant

Capacity of Crescentia cujete
Belinda Sentosa, Alfred H.Leaf
Alphanto,Extract
Grace Madeleine, Selly Herlia R.,
Ario Lukas,
Stevanno Geraldus, Eny Yulianti, Helmi, David Limanan, Ruth Zechariah W., and F. Ferdinal
Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sch of Med Tarumanagara University,
Jakarta – Indonesia
E-mail: belindasentosa05@gmail.com
Background
Oxidative stress is a condition where free radicals and antioxidants are not in a balanced-state. Normally, free radicals are
needed for many purpose, such as providing immune protection against infectious agents. Their activity must be controlled
by antioxidants which is already provided by our system. When free radicals are higher than antioxidant, oxidative stress
occurs, leading to many diseases, like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular diseases, and fatty liver. To prevent
those diseases, antioxidants is needed even more. Antioxidants can be acquired from foods or natural sources. One of the
natural source that is expected to have antioxidant effect is Crescentia cujete leaves. Crescentia cujete leaves’ secondary
metabolites; such as phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, and steroids expected to have antioxidant activity that can help
reducing free radical activity in oxidative stress.Besides antioxidant activity, the antimitotic activity is allegedly present in
Crescentia cujete leaves. It is very important due to elevating cancer cases in these days. The goal of this test is to examine
the phytochemical compounds, antioxidant capacity and the citotoxicity of Crescentia cujete leaves extract .

Materials and Methods Qualitative Screening

Alkaloids Dragendorff’s and Mayer’s
test Measurement Results
Terpenoids Salwoski test Alkaloid +
Steroids Liebermann-Burchard test Steroid ++
Cardiac Glycosydes Keller-Killiani Test Terpenoid +
Antioxidant Capacity DPPH Scavenging assay
Phenolic ++
Total Phenolic Content Singleton and Rossi Method
Cardiac Glycosydes +
Total Flavonoid Content Woisky and Salatino Method
Toxicity Test Brine Shrimp Lethality Test

Total Phenolic Content Total Flavonoid Content

Standart curve of Tannin Standart curve of querceti n
0.7 0.3
0.6 0.25
f(x) = 0x + 0.13 f(x) = 0.01x + 0.01
absorbance

0.5 R² = 0.99 0.2 R² = 1

Absorbance

0.4 0.15
0.3 0.1
0.2 0.05
0.1 0
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
0
250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 concentration
Concentration
The Absorbance of Ethanol extract Crescentia The Absorbance of Ethanol extract Crescentia cujete
cujete leaves is 0.384, so the total phenolics leaves is 0.126, so the total flavonoids content of 9.632
content of 3,694.286 mg tannin equivalent / L mg quercetin equivalent / L

Antioxidant Capacity Toxicity Test

1.2
Crescentia cujete DPPH Assay
1.0
80.00 f(x) = 0x + 0.2
60.00 0.8 R² = 0.98
% Inhibition

f(x) = 0.35x - 5.3

R² = 0.96
Probit

40.00 0.6
20.00 0.4
0.00
0 50 100 150 200 250 0.2
Concentration 0.0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
concentration
The IC 50 value of Ethanol extract Crescentia cujete
leaves is 158.46 µg/mL, compared to ascorbic acid IC 50 The LC 50 value of Ethanol extract Crescentia cujete
value of 3.73 µg/mL. leaves is 338.360 µg/mL.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the result showed that ethanol extract of Crescentia cujete leaves was high in
antioxidant and had anti-mitotic activity, which means that it has a potential to prevent and/or
suppress the development of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer, diabetes, fatty liver,
and even cancer.