Bioactivities Evaluation of Indonesian Mistletoes (Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq.) Leaves Extracts.

ABSTRACT

Mistletoes or benalu in bahasa Indonesia is a semi-parasitic plant that also known as medicinal plant. It used in traditional/alternative medicine such as for for cough, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, diuretic, smallpox, ulcer, skin infection and after child-birth treatment. There are many species of mistletoes in Indonesia. Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq. is one of the Indonesian mistletoes species that commonly found grew on many different species of host plant. In this paper we reported in vitro toxicity, antioxidant and antidiabetes activities of MeOH and water extracts of D. pentandra grew on four different host plants (Stelechocarpus burahol, Spondias dulcis, Annona squamosa and Camellia sinensis). Toxicity was measured using brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT). Antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Antidiabetes activity was measured using -glucosidase inhibitor assay. The results show that all mistletoes extracts tested (MeOH and water extracts) were non-toxic and show significant antidiabetes activity, whereas for antioxidant activity, only MeOH extracts show significant activity. Therefore, it is suggest that D. pentandra extracts are potential source for natural antioxidant and antidiabetes compounds.