Screening anticancer activity by Brine shrimp lethality test of extracts of Annona stenophylla (Engl. & Diels), Strophanthus petersianus (Klotzsch) and Synadenium glaucescens (Pax)

Publication Type

Journal Article

Name of Author

• Roberto Luis Nhamussua, Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Exact Sciences, Save University, Massinga, Inhambane, MozambiqueFollow
• Faith Philemone Mabiki Mabiki, Department of Chemistry and Physics, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
• Alinanuswe Joel Mwakalesi, Department of Chemistry and Physics, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
• Lyndy Joy McGaw, Phytomedicine Programme, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Publication Date (Issue Year)

2026

Journal Name

PLOS One

Abstract

Cancer continues to be one of the main public health challenges, driving the search for new compounds with therapeutic potential. Medicinal plants represent a valuable promising source of bioactive metabolites, and the Brine Shrimp Lethality Test has been widely used as a preliminary tool to assess the toxicity of natural extracts, providing clues to their possible anticancer activity. In this study, the cytotoxicity of the extracts of Annona stenophylla (Engl. & Diels), Strophanthus petersianus (Klotzsch), and Synadenium glaucescens (Pax) was investigated using the BSLT as a first step in screening for potential anticancer compounds. The plant materials were harvested in Tanzania and air-dried in the shade, and ground. The extracts were prepared by total sequential solvent extraction using cold maceration, starting with ethyl acetate, followed by methanol. A total of 24 ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts were obtained from the leaves, stem bark, stem wood, root wood and root bark of the three plants studied. The toxicity of the extracts was assessed by exposing Artemia salina nauplii to different concentrations of the extracts, with mortality recorded after 24 h. The LC50 was determined to evaluate the toxicity of each extract. All the extracts from the three plants exhibited different degrees of toxicity, with A. stenophylla demonstrating the lowest LC50 values, indicating the highest toxicity. The methanolic extract of A. stenophylla’s root wood exhibited the highest toxicity, producing a mortality rate of 99.44%, corresponding to an LC50< 20 μg/mL. The observed toxicity suggests the presence of bioactive compounds with potential anticancer activities. The results support the potential of A. stenophylla, S. petersianus and S. glaucescens as sources of bioactive compounds with possible anticancer activity. Further studies, including PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336636 January 2, 2026 2 / 14 phytochemical analysis and in vitro anticancer assays, are recommended to identify and

Keywords

Screening anticancer activity, Brine shrimp lethality test, extracts of Annona stenophylla (Engl. & Diels), Strophanthus petersianus (Klotzsch), Synadenium glaucescens (Pax)

Rsif Scholar Name

Roberto Luís Nhamussua

Rsif Scholar Nationality

Mozambique

Cohort

Cohort 4

Thematic Area

Food security and Agribusiness

Africa Host University (AHU)

Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania

Recommended Citation

Nhamussua, R., Mabiki, F. P., Mwakalesi, A. J., & McGaw, L. (2026). Screening anticancer activity by Brine shrimp lethality test of extracts of Annona stenophylla (Engl. & Diels), Strophanthus petersianus (Klotzsch) and Synadenium glaucescens (Pax). PLOS One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336636