Plants of the Annonaceae traditionally used as antimalarials: a review

Abstract

ABSTRACT-Species of the Annonaceae family are used all over the tropics in traditional medicine in tropical regions for the treatment of malaria and other illnesses. Phytochemical studies of this family have revealed chemical components which could offer new alternatives for the treatment and control of malaria. Searches in scientific reference sites (SciFinder Scholar, Scielo, PubMed, ScienceDirect and ISI Web of Science) and a bibliographic literature search for species of Annonaceae used traditionally to treat malaria and fever were carried out. This family contains 2,100 species in 123 genera. We encountered 113 articles reporting medicinal use of one or more species of this family including 63 species in 27 genera with uses as antimalarials and febrifuges. Even though the same species of Annonaceae are used by diverse ethnic groups, different plant parts are often chosen for applications, and diverse methods of preparation and treatment are used. The ethanol extracts of Polyalthia debilis and Xylopia aromatica proved to be quite active against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro (median inhibition concentration, IC 50 < 1.5 µg/mL). Intraperitoneal injection of Annickia chlorantha aqueous extracts (cited as Enantia chlorantha) cleared chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis from the blood of mice in a dose-dependant manner. More phytochemical profiles of Annonaceous species are required; especially information on the more commonly distributed antimalarial compounds in this family.

In vitro Antiproliferative and Antibacterial Activities of Essential Oils from Four Species of Guatteria

“…Ethnopharmacological studies have shown that species of Guatteria are used as febrifuges and antimalarials . Published studies have investigated the antiproliferative and antibacterial activities of volatile and fixed components identified in other species of Guatteria such as G .…”

“…[2] Ethnopharmacological studies have shown that species of Guatteria are used as febrifuges and antimalarials. [3] Published studies have investigated the antiproliferative and antibacterial activities of volatile and fixed components identified in other species of Guatteria such as G. blepharophylla, [4 -6] G. riparia and G. schomburgkiana, [7] G. hispida, [8] G. costaricensis, G. diospyroides, [9] and G. australis. [10] In this context, our study aimed the first evaluation of the essential oil (EO) chemical composition of three species of Guatteria, G. ferruginea A.…”

Direct infusion ESI‐IT‐MSn alkaloid profile and isolation of tetrahydroharman and other alkaloids from Bocageopsis pleiosperma maas (Annonaceae)

“…Annonaceae, the largest family of the Magnoliales order, is currently composed of 2500 species distributed in 130 genera with about 900 species (40 genera) in the Neotropical region (Richardson et al, 2004). In Brazil 260 endemic species are catalogued and distributed in 26 genera (Maas et al, 2001), with several species being used in traditional medicine (Mahiou et al, 2000;Frausin et al, 2014).…”

Antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity, isolation of active alkaloids, and dereplication of Xylopia sericea leaves ethanol extract by UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS

“…[7] Chemically, plants of the Xylopia genus are sources of terpenes, alkaloids and acetogenins several of them disclosing antimalarial activity and different parts, fruits, barks, stem and leaves, being used in the popular medicine. [7,8] On the basis of ethnopharmacological and chemotaxonomical information, the evaluation of Xylopia sericea A. St.-Hil. was selected as part of our effort to investigate the antiplasmodial effect of Brazilian plants.…”