Evaluation of the Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Extracts of Artemisia Annua Whole Plant

Artemisia annua is an herb from Asteraceae family well known for its medicinal uses, particularly in the treatment of malaria. This study evaluates the cytotoxicity and antioxidant properties of Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood) extracts (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol). The Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) was carried out to access the toxicity of the extracts, and the antioxidant potential of various extracts was determined using DPPH assay, ABTS assay and Metal chelating activity assay (radical scavenging assay) compared with antioxidant controls BHA, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol, respectively. The BSLT result showed high toxicity in all extracts, with the methanol extract showing the highest toxicity. The LC50 values (81.25 µg/L for n-hexane, 67.42 µg/L for ethyl acetate, and 51.59 µg/L for methanol) indicate that the lower the LC50, the higher the potency of the extract. The radical scavenging assay exhibited great scavenging activity in all extracts, with the methanol extract outperforming the standards. These findings highlight the potential activity of Artemisia annua extracts for pharmaceutical applications, particularly in drug development, and also prove to be a potent source of biologically active compounds that can be further subjected to isolation of therapeutic antioxidant agents.