Phytochemical, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxicity screenings of n-hexane extract from Blumea balsamifera L leaves

The significance of phytomedicine in the field of medicine has encouraged researchers to investigate the potential medicinal properties of plants. Of which, phytoconstituents of Blumea balsamifera have been reported to possess multiple pharmacological benefits. Unfortunately, recent published reports only cover the essential oils of B. balsamifera, obtained from hydro-distillation. Hence, our research aimed to explore the bioactivities of B. balsamifera leaves extracted with n-hexane solvent through partitioning. Firstly, simplicial powder of B. balsamifera leaves was macerated using methanol, and followed by partitioning in a separating funnel with n-hexane solvent. The sample was assayed with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality test for antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity, respectively. Lastly, the phytochemical profile of the n-hexane extract was analyzed using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In the results, we found the n-hexane extract as a weak antioxidant (IC50=281.707ppm) and moderately cytotoxic agent (LC50=44.47ppm). GC chromatogram revealed the dominance of two phytoconstituents – borneol L (33.77%) and veridiflorol (22.57%), where both are known to have anticancer activities. In conclusion, bioactive and phytochemical screenings of n-hexane extract from Blumea balsamifera leaves suggested its anticancer potential. Future research involving purification of the phytocompound and investigation using cancer cell lines is encouraged.