Soxhlet apparatus was used to obtain leaf extracts of Cucurbita maxima, Euphorbia hirta, Leptadenia hastata and Mitracarpus scaber using chloroform and ethanol solvents while maceration was used for the aqueous extraction. Phytochemical screening was performed on the leaf extracts which revealed the presence quite a number of phytochemicals. Brine shrimp Lethality Assay (BSLA) was carried out using the various extracts. The observed cytotoxicity was expressed in terms of LC50 (lethality concentration). The surviving brine shrimps were recorded after 24 hours. The results revealed that the extracts showed potent activity against the brine shrimps having LC50 values less than 1000ppm. This possibly indicates the presence of biologically active components in these extracts which could be responsible for the known pharmacological effects of the plants. Thus, the results of the study further highlights the ethnotherapeutic importance of the leaves of these plants.
