Sains Malaysiana 48(4)(2019): 831–840 http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2019-4804-15 Antioxidant Properties and Toxicity Assessment of the Crescentia cujete Extracts in Brine Shrimp (Artemia salina) (Sifat Antioksidan dan Ketoksikan Penilaian ekstrak Crescentia cujete pada Udang Air Garam (Artemia salina) MOZHIARHASI SANDRA SAGRIN, NUR FATIMAH LASANO, RADHIAH SHUKRI & NURUL SHAZINI RAMLI* ABSTRACT Crescentia cujete has traditionally been used to treat various ailments. The present study attempted to determine the antioxidant activities of 100% ethanol, 50% ethanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves, bark and fruit of the herb. Additionally, the toxicity of the extracts was investigated in brine shrimp. The results showed that 100% ethanol leaf extract had the highest antioxidant activity with an IC 50 value of 261.97 ± 0.57 μg/mL according to the 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Estimation of the total phenolic content (TPC) using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent showed that the leaves extracted with 100% ethanol had the highest concentration of TPC compared to the extracts prepared with other solvents of all parts of the plant. Analysis of the minerals using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) showed that the parts of the plant primarily consist of high levels of phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. Titration analysis of vitamin C showed that the highest concentration of the vitamin is present in the bark. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of vitamin E indicated that the content is the highest in the fruit, and the content of vitamin A was the highest in the leaves. Brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) results showed that 50% ethanol extract of the leaves is the most toxic during a 24 h treatment. Thus, the leaves and bark exhibit excellent antioxidant effects and can be potentially developed as functional food ingredients. The fndings of the present study suggest further research in cell lines and in vivo. Keywords: Calabash; minerals; polyphenol; toxicity; vitamins ABSTRAK Crescentia cujete telah digunakan secara tradisi untuk merawat pelbagai penyakit. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan aktiviti antioksida terhadap 100% etanol, 50% etanol dan akues ekstrak daun, kulit kayu dan buah. Di samping itu, penilaian ketoksikan ekstrak ke atas udang brin juga dikaji. Keputusan menunjukkan daun yang diekstrak dengan 100% etanol mempunyai aktiviti antioksida yang paling tinggi dengan nilai IC 50 261.97 ± 0.57 μg/mL, diuji menggunakan ujian esei radikal 2,2-diphenil-1-picrylhidrazil (DPPH). Penilaian jumlah kandungan fenolik (TPC) menggunakan reagen Folin-Ciocalteau menunjukkan bahawa daun yang diekstrak menggunakan 100% etanol mempunyai kepekatan tertinggi berbanding dengan ekstrak bahagian tumbuhan lain yang disediakan dengan pelarut lain. Analisis mineral menggunakan spektrometer pancaran optik-plasma gandingan aruhan (ICP-OES) menunjukkan bahawa semua bahagian tumbuhan yang telah diuji mengandungi fosforus, magnesium dan kalsium yang tinggi. Titrasi vitamin C telah menunjukkan kandungan tertinggi dalam kulit. Selain itu, analisa kromatograf cecair berprestasi tinggi (HPLC) vitamin E menunjukkan kandungan tertinggi dalam buah sementara vitamin A adalah paling tinggi dalam daun. Keputusan analisis kemautan udang brin (BSLA) menunjukkan bahawa ekstrak daun dengan menggunakan etanol 50% adalah yang paling toksik semasa pengujian selama 24 jam. Kajian ini dengan jelas menunjukkan bahawa daun, kulit dan buah Crescentia cujete adalah toksik dan bioaktif. Oleh itu, daun dan kulit mengandungi antioksida dan berpotensi untuk dibangunkan sebagai bahan makanan fungsian. Keputusan kajian ini mencadangkan kajian lanjut dalam lapisan sel dan in vivo. Kata kunci: Ketoksikan; labu kayu; mineral; polifenol; vitamin INTRODUCTION Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen that are mainly produced by the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) as by-products of the common cellular metabolism (He et al. 2017). ROS are small but highly reactive. ROS play important roles in such cellular functions as communication and homeostasis; however, at elevated levels, ROS may harm human health (Gorlach et al. 2015). The balance of ROS in the body is commonly regulated by the antioxidant capacity of a cell. Interference that alters this balanced state results in a pro-oxidant state known as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can cause a number of negative effects in the human body especially due to chemical reactions of ROS with the lipids and proteins due to the highly reactive nature of ROS (Gorlach et al. 2015). Some of the negative effects include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, and ageing, cataract