Antimalarial activity of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in S. Tomé and Prı́ncipe islands

Abstract

The present study investigates the antimalarial activity of 13 medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in S. Tomé and Príncipe (STP) islands in the Gulf of Guinea, aiming at identifying the most effective plants for further research. Fieldwork was carried out with the collaboration of 37 traditional healers from both islands, during an ethnobotanical study, which was conducted from 1993 to 1999. Our results indicate that the traditional healers in STP use several medicinal plants against fever and/or 'malaria' which reveal strong antiparasitic activity in vitro: four of the plant extracts have evident antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum, with IC(50) values <10 microg/ml, and also revealed hepatic schizontocidal activity (<5-35 microg/ml). In vivo, the extracts caused partial reduction of Plasmodium berghei parasitaemia in mice.

In vitro antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity of 33 West African plants used for treatment of malaria

“…This was the case for Acanthospermum hispidum (Sanon et al, 2003), Morinda morindoides (Tona et al, 2001), Pycnanthus angolensis (do Céu de Madureira et al, 2002), and Physalis angulata (Ankrah et al, 2003). With the exception of Mareya micrantha, Bersama abyssinica, Erigeron floribundus and Acanthospermum hispidum, plant extracts presented no or a weak cytotoxicity on the mammalian cells (IC 50 values >20 g/ml).…”

Evaluation of the antiplasmodial and leishmanicidal potential of Myrciaria dubia (Myrtaceae) extract

“…C y t o t o x i c i t y w a s d e t e r m i n e d u s i n g t h e M T T (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) colorimetric method (23) . Cells were seeded at 2 × 10 4 /well and after 24h of treatment with the M. dubia extract (500-7.8µg/mL), 20μL of MTT at a concentration of 5mg/mL in PBS (w/v) was added to each well.…”

Structural studies of the chemical constituents of Tithonia tagetiflora Desv. (Asteraceae)

“…1 H, 13 C and DEPT NMR spectra of 1 show that it has 20 carbons and 24 protons. The molecular formula of compound 1 is then determined as C 20 H 24 O 5 from the GC-EI-MS at m/z 344 [M + ].…”

“…[1,2] Tithonia tagetiflora is now also known as Tithonia rotundifolia. [3] In Tithonia diversifolia, some sesquiterpene lactones strongly inhibited the growth of human hepatoma cell Hep G2 [4] and of human colon cancer cells Col2.…”