Antidiabetic and toxicity activities of Cinchona ledgeriana leaves extracts

The barks of Cinchona species are commonly known for commercial production of quinine as antimalarial. This medicinal plant has a unique history not just in Indonesia but also in other countries such as in Latin American countries and Japan. Cinchonine, cinchonidine, quinine and quinidine are the main alkaloids in this plant. Nowadays only very few studies were conducted in Cinchona species especially on the leaves of Cinchona ledgeriana compare with other medicinal plants. Pharmaceutical applications are influenced by the biological activity of a natural product that is involved in certain characteristics. This research aim is to know bioactivities (antidabetic and toxicity) of ethanolic extract and its fractions from C. ledgeriana leaves. Extraction of C. ledgeriana leaves was carried out by maceration method using ethanol and then the ectract was partitioned using ethyl acetate and butanol, successively. The antidiabetic activity was conducted using α-glucosidase inhibitory activity assay, while the toxicity activity was conducted using Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) method. All of the extract and fraction showed antidiabetic activity with IC50 values from 14.44 µg/mL to 61.56 µg/mL and toxicity activities with LC50 values from 14.79 µg/mL to 120.22 µg/mL.