Crescentia cujete Linn. is a fast-growing evergreen tree in the Philippines. Folklore says C. cujete Linn. has been used as an alternative medicine to treat ailments such as hematoma and tumors. In this study, air-dried leaves of C. cujete Linn. was prepared and partitioned using hexane, and ethyl acetate as solvents and was qualitatively assessed for the presence of phytochemical constituents. Secondary metabolites like flavonoids, tannins, reducing sugar, and steroids were observed in the preliminary phytochemical screening of hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts. Cytotoxicity of the different extracts were determined using brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT). Median lethal concentration (LC50) of the hexane, aqueous, and crude ethanolic extracts were determined after 6 hours of exposure showing 572, 3048 and 220 ppm, respectively. Moreover, LC50 of the hexane, aqueous, and crude ethanolic extract, after 24 hours of exposure, were also determined showing 0, 0.184, and 6.47 ppm, respectively. The hexane, aqueous, and crude ethanolic extracts of C. cujete Linn. were also tested for its mutagenicity, antimutagenicity, and protective potentials using peripheral blood micronucleus test. The number of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocyte (MNPCE) observed from the mutagenicity test of hexane, aqueous, and crude ethanolic extract administered at a dose of 50mg/kg and 100mg/kg showed an average mean of 16.7,14.6 and 14.7, respectively, are lower compared to that of the positive control, methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), showing 49.5 number of MNPCE. Also, results for the antimutagenicity and protective potentials of hexane, aqueous, and crude ethanolic extract administered at a dose of 50mg/kg and 100mg reduced the number of MNPCEs produced by the MMS.
