Screening of some Kenyan Medicinal Plants Using Tte Brine Shrimp Lethality Test

J W Mwangi; W Masengo; G N Thoithi; I O Kibwage

J W Mwangi Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy, University of Nairobi
W Masengo Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy, University of Nairobi
G N Thoithi Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Nairobi
I O Kibwage Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Nairobi

Keywords: Brine Shrimp Lethality Test, Kenya medicinal plants, methanol extract, petroleum ether extract

Abstract

The latex of two plants and the methanol and petroleum ether extracts of thirty four plants from twenty one families were screened for their biological activity using the brine shrimp lethality test. The plants were selected on the basis of their traditional medicinal uses in Kenya. Thirty six of the seventy eight samples showed toxicity to the brine shrimp (LC50 < 1000 pg/m1). The most active extracts (LC50 < 250 lig/m1) were from Bridelia micrantha, Brucea antidysenterica, Croton megalocarpus, Engleromyces goetzi, Euclea schimperi, Mondia whitei, Persea americana, Phytolacca dodecandra, Salvia nilotica, Tagetes minuta, Teclea simplifolia and Toddalia asiatica. The results could be useful in the search for new compounds with pesticidal, antitumour and other pharmacological actions.