Antiplasmodial and Cytotoxic Activity of Raw Plant Extracts as Reported by Knowledgeable Indigenous People of the Amazon Region (Vaupés Medio in Colombia)

Abstract

The in vitro antiplasmodial activity of 122 raw extracts prepared in ethanol and water from 35 medicinal plants reported by the Cubeo indigenous village of the Amazon region (Vaupés Medio in Colombia) was evaluated for efficacy against 3D7 (sensitive to chloroquine) and FCR-3 (resistant to chloroquine) Plasmodium falciparum strains. Five percent of these extracts presented a significant antiplasmodial activity (< 5 µg/mL) and 83 % of them were not cytotoxic. These findings highlight the importance of investigating traditional medicinal plants implemented by these ancestral communities of the Amazon region as well as their potential to become a source of new drugs against malaria.

Anti-plasmodial effect of plant extracts from Picrolemma huberi and Picramnia latifolia

“…Several concentrations of each extract (from 100 to 0.02 µg/mL and DMSO: 0.99% for the highest concentration) were evaluated in the 3D7 and FCR3 strains; diphosphate salt of chloroquine (≥ 98%, SIGMA C6628), evaluated in a range of 1.03 μg/mL to 0.00118 μg/mL, was used as a treatment control in each assay [ 14 ]. Culture medium in the absence of the extract was used as a growth control.…”

“…A suspension of parasitized red blood cells with a haematocrit of 2%, a total parasitaemia of 1%, and with a predominance > 80% of young trophozoite stage, were prepared. The cultures with the treatments were incubated at 37 °C for 48 h in the presence of 5% CO 2 , 5% O 2 and 90% N 2 [ 14 ]. After 48 h of incubation, 50 µL of 0.4% SYBR Green was added to each well and incubated for 10 min, to intercalate the fluorochrome into the DNA of the parasites [ 19 ]; after 10 min incubation, fluorescence emission detection was performed using the BD AccuriTM C6 flow cytometer, measured at 485 nm excitation and 530 nm emission [ 19 ].…”

“…Therefore, it is necessary to search for new therapeutic options for the treatment of the disease. In this sense, traditional medicine provides us with numerous sources of new active compounds [ 13 , 14 ]. In Latin America, plant species with medicinal properties belonging to the families Simaroubaceae and Picramniaceae have been researched.…”

Mutagenicity, genotoxicity and gene expression of Rad51C, Xiap, P53 and Nrf2 induced by antimalarial extracts of plants collected from the middle Vaupés region, Colombia

“…A partir del estudio de Pabón, et al (7), se seleccionaron los extractos etanólicos R001, T002, T015 y T028 de las hojas, los tallos, las raíces y las cortezas de plantas pertenecientes a los géneros Citrus sp., Matisia sp., Psidium sp. y Rudgea sp.…”

“…En este sentido, antes de este estudio, en el Grupo de Malaria de la Universidad de Antioquia se evaluó la actividad antiplasmódica y citotóxica in vitro de los extractos acuosos y etánolicos preparados a partir de 35 plantas consideradas antipalúdicas por los médicos tradicionales de la región del Vaupés medio, y se encontró que 5 % de 72 extractos etanólicos presentó una significativa actividad anti-Plasmodium (<5 µg/ml) y 83 % de ellos no fueron tóxicos (7). Estos resultados demuestran la importancia del uso tradicional que las comunidades ancestrales de la Amazonia dan a las plantas, lo cual contribuiría a solucionar un problema de salud pública como la malaria en todo el mundo.…”