Abstract

• This research is concerned with some phytochemical and biological investigation of crude extracts from Brucea javanica Linn. (Yar-dan-seed). Preliminary phytochemicals, total flavonoid content (TFC) and total phenol contents (TPC) have been carried out as chemical investigations. Preliminary phytochemical investigations done by test tube methods revealed the presence of alkaloids, α–amino acids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, organic acids, phenolic compounds, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids, and the absence of starch in the tested samples. The total phenol contents (TPC) of water and ethanol extract of seeds were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (FCR) method. TPC contents of ethanol extract (μg GAE/mg) were found to be highest content (303.24  1.19). The total flavonoid contents of water and ethanol extracts of selected sample were determined by the aluminum chloride method. TFC contents of ethanol extract (mg QE/g) were found to be the highest content (286  0.20). The water and ethanol extracts of the seeds were observed to possess antioxidant capacity by DPPH assay method. Among them, ethanol extract has more potent antioxidant activity (IC50 = 36.21 μg/mL) than other tested samples. Moreover, ethanol extract of antidiabetic activity (expressed in terms of α-amylase inhibitory) indicated that possessed higher anti-diabetic activity (IC50 = 89.12 μg/mL) than other tested samples. In the antimicrobial screening by agar well diffusion method, pet-ether and ethyl acetate extracts were found to possess high activity against all tested microorganism with the inhibition zone diameters ranging between 19 mm ~ 23 mm but other crude extracts of B.javanica had mild activity. According to the result, B.javanica (Yar-dan-seed) was found to contain highest amount of phytochemical constituents so these selected samples have more portent antioxidant, antidiabetic and antimicrobial effects.