In vitro antimalarial activity of medicinal plant extracts against Plasmodium falciparum

Abstract

Malaria is a major global public health problem, and the alarming spread of drug resistance and limited number of effective drugs now available underline how important it is to discover new antimalarial compounds. In the present study, ten plants were extracted with ethyl acetate and methanol and tested for their antimalarial activity against chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive (3D7) and CQ-resistant (Dd2 and INDO) strains of Plasmodium falciparum in culture using the fluorescence-based SYBR Green assay. Plant extracts showed moderate to good antiparasitic effects. Promising antiplasmodial activity was found in the extracts from two plants, Phyllanthus emblica leaf 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) 3D7: 7.25 μg/mL (ethyl acetate extract), 3.125 μg/mL (methanol extract), and Syzygium aromaticum flower bud, IC₅₀ 3D7:13 μg/mL, (ethyl acetate extract) and 6.25 μg/mL (methanol extract). Moderate activity (30-75 μg/mL) was found in the ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Abrus precatorius (seed) and Gloriosa superba (leaf); leaf ethyl acetate extracts of Annona squamosa and flower of Musa paradisiaca. The above mentioned plant extracts were also found to be active against CQ-resistant strains (Dd2 and INDO). Cytotoxicity study with P. emblica leaf and S. aromaticum flower bud, extracts showed good therapeutic indices. These results demonstrate that leaf ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of P. emblica and flower bud extract of S. aromaticum may serve as antimalarial agents even in their crude form. The isolation of compounds from P. emblica and S. aromaticum seems to be of special interest for further antimalarial studies.

In vitro antiplasmodial effect of ethanolic extracts of coastal medicinal plants along Palk Strait against Plasmodium falciparum

“…The importance of plants as effective antimalarials was further reinforced by the isolation of artemisinin from the Chinese medicinal plant, Artemisia annua (A. annua) [1] . Several plants with antiplasmodial properties have been proved as sources for novel antiplasmodial compounds [2][3][4][5][6][7] . India boasts remarkable biodiversity and rich cultural traditions of plant use.…”

Household uses of the banana plant in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

“…Similarly, Bagavan et al (2011) reported that ethanolbased extracts of banana flowers inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus subtalis, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli in the laboratory and may help heal wounds and prevent infections. It has been estimated by the World Health Organization that 80% of the developing world's population meets its primary healthcare needs through traditional medicines.…”

Eco-friendly drugs from the marine environment: spongeweed-synthesized silver nanoparticles are highly effective on Plasmodium falciparum and its vector Anopheles stephensi, with little non-target effects on predatory copepods

“…The fluorescence counts were plotted against the drug concentration and the 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) was determined by an analysis of dose-response curves. Results were validated microscopically by the examination of Giemsa-stained smears of extract-treated parasite cultures (Bagavan et al 2011;Murugan et al 2015h). …”