title: Biological screening of selected Pacific Northwest forest plants using the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) toxicity bioassay.
abstract: The brine shrimp (Artemia salina) bioassay was used to screen 211 methanol extracts from 128 species of Pacific Northwest plants in search of general cytotoxic activity. Strong toxicity (LC50 < 100 µg/ml) was found for 17 extracts from 13 species, with highest activity observed for Angelica arguta roots at <10 µg/ml. Notably, four species of cedar trees and one of juniper in the family Cupressaceae dominated this group with LC50 for heartwood extracts ranging from 15 to 89 µg/ml. Moderate toxicity (LC50 100-500 µg/ml) was found in 38 extracts from 27 species, while weak toxicity (LC50 500-1000 µg/ml) was detected for 17 extracts in 16 species. There were 139 extracts from 99 species that were non-toxic (LC50 > 1000 µg/ml). Our subsequent studies of conifer heartwoods with strong activity confirm the assay's value for identifying new investigational leads for materials with insecticidal and fungicidal activity.
authors.affiliation: Wood Science and Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA.
authors.forename: Yvette M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Karchesy
authors.affiliation: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA.
authors.forename: Rick G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kelsey
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Constantine
authors.affiliation: Wood Science and Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Karchesy
keywords: Artemia salina; Bioactivity; Brine shrimp lethality; Methanol extracts