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Title
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PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION AND CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY
OF “MAKATAYNUK” (Streblus sp; Family Moraceae) LEAF
EXTRACTS USING BRINE SHRIMP (Artemia salina) LETHALITY
ASSAY
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Author(s)
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DOLLOSO, HELENA MARGRETHE D.
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DURAN, WINONA RENZ F.
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HATAGUE, NIEJEN ELFIE L.
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Affiliation
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Misamis University
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Degree Program
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Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology
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Contributor
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Villantes, Yunalyn L., PhD - Adviser
Enguito, Marie Roselynn, C. MSc. Bio - Panel member
Parba, Meliza PhD. - Panel member
Lao, Karl Maxel O., MSc. MLS - Chairman
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Year
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2026
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Abstract
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The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and adverse effects associated with synthetic drugs has intensified the global search for safer and more effective bioactive compounds from medicinal plants. Streblus sp., locally known as “Makataynuk,” is a medicinal plant with limited scientific information regarding its phytochemical composition and
cytotoxic properties. This study evaluated the phytochemical constituents and cytotoxic activity of the leaf extracts of Streblus sp. using the Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay with Artemia salina nauplii. Fresh leaves were collected, air-dried, pulverized, and subjected to methanolic, aqueous, ethyl acetate, and hexane extraction procedures. Phytochemical screening was conducted to
determine the presence of secondary metabolites, and cytotoxic activity was assessed by evaluating mortality responses across varying extract concentrations, including positive and negative controls. The median lethal concentration (LC50) was determined using probit regression analysis. Results revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenolics, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, and terpenoids in the extracts. A concentration-dependent increase in mortality was observed across all treatments. The positive control (DMSO) exhibited very high mortality, whereas the negative control (artificial seawater) showed no mortality, validating the assay conditions. Among the solvent extracts, the methanolic extract exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity with the lowest LC50 value of 25.11 μg/mL, followed by ethyl acetate (104.72 μg/mL), aqueous (312.45 μg/mL), and hexane extracts (447.83 μg/mL). One-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in mortality rates among concentration levels and controls (p < 0.0001), which was further confirmed through Tukey HSD analysis and graphical grouping comparisons. The findings indicate that Streblus sp. contains biologically active secondary metabolites with significant cytotoxic potential, particularly in the methanolic extract, suggesting its potential as a source of pharmacologically important compounds for future pharmacological and toxicological investigations.
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Keywords
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Artemia salina, brine shrimp lethality assay, cytotoxic activity, Makataynuk, phytochemical evaluation.
