Brine Shrimp Bioactivity and Cytotoxic Potential of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) Baill Seed

Abstract

Background: The seed of Irvingia gabonensis is recognized for its potential bioactivity and medicinal benefits, yet its cytotoxicity and chemical composition have not been fully investigated. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the bioactivity and cytotoxicity of the ethanol extract of Irvingia gabonensis seed and its ethyl acetate fraction using brine shrimp as a model organism. Methods: The ethanol extract was prepared through maceration using a Soxhlet extractor, followed by the derivation of the ethyl acetate fraction. The bioactivity and cytotoxicity of both extracts were assessed through the brine shrimp lethality assay, with lethal concentration 50% (LC50) values calculated to gauge cytotoxicity. The extracts of Irvingia gabonensis seed were tested against brine shrimp to determine their LC50 values and cell viability was also evaluated. Cyclophosphamide served as a reference compound for comparative purposes. Results: Both the ethanol extract and its ethyl acetate derivative showed moderate cytotoxicity against brine shrimp, with LC50 values of 93.22 ± 0.03 μg/mL and 190.80 ± 0.03 μg/mL, respectively. Importantly, the ethanol derivative exhibited a higher cytotoxicity compared to the ethyl acetate fraction, with LC50 values of both derivatives being comparable to that of cyclophosphamide. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the ethanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction of Irvingia gabonensis seed demonstrates considerable bioactivity and cytotoxicity against brine shrimp, underscoring the potential of Irvingia gabonensis seed extracts as sources of bioactive compounds for therapeutic use.