A survey on phytochemical and bioactivity of plant extracts from Malaysian forest reserves

Abstract

Methanolic extracts of leaves from plants collected from two different forest reserves, namely, Gunung Stong, Dabong, Kelantan and Ulu Muda, Kedah in Malaysia were subjected to a study in phytochemical constituents screen, toxicity to brine shrimp, cytotoxicity to normal cells and antiviral activity. All the plant extracts contain saponins except for Cyrtandra cf. anisophyllea.Goniothalamus macrophyllus contains alkaloids, steroids/triterpenes and saponins. All the tested extracts were not toxic to the brine shrimp. In the cytotoxicity assay, the CTC50 values recorded for all the extracts ranged between 21.540 mg/L (Galearia fulva) to more than 1000 mg/L (Cinnamomum javanicum, Cryptocarya costata, Scaphochlamys biloba, Diospyros frutescens, Galearia maingayi and Urophyllum blumeanum). From the CTC50 values, ten of the extracts were considered toxic to Vero cells. In the antiviral test carried out using 0.1 CTC50 of the various extracts, results showed that antiviral activity is effective when the cells were treated with the extracts and inoculated with measles virus at the same time. From this study, it was postulated that the most effective route for the extracts in preventing the killing of Vero cells by (MV) was through inactivation of virus particle or prevention of viral entry into the cells. Key words: Phytochemical constituent, toxicity to brine shrimp, cytotoxicity, antiviral activity.