The Antimalarial Potential of Three Ghanaian Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Objective: Malaria is a major public health problem in Ghana and many indigenes, especially those in rural areas, resort to the use of medicinal plants to treat the disease. The plants: Persea americana Mill. (Lauraceae), Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae) and Tridax procumbens (L.) L. (Compositae) are used solely or in combination with other medicinal plants to manage malaria and its associated conditions. The leaves of the plants which are normally the main parts employed, were studied for their phytochemistry and antiplasmodial activity to establish their chemical profile and verify the antimalarial claim.Methods: Plant materials were subjected to basic phytochemical screening to identify the major secondary metabolites. The aqueous extracts were evaluated against chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 P. falciparum and chloroquine-resistant W2 P. falciparum strains, using the fluorescence-based SYBR® green I method to determine their antiplasmodial activity.Results: Basic phytochemical screening of the leaves revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids and alkaloids in all three plant materials. T. cacao and P. americana, in addition, contained purine base alkaloids, triterpenoids including saponins. The aqueous extracts of the leaves showed antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 P. falciparum (9.50 ± 1.38 ≤ IC 50 ≤ 10.15 ± 0.45 µg/mL) and against chloroquine-resistant W2 P. falciparum strains (6.40 ± 1.94 ≤ IC 50 ≤ 44.94 ± 1.12 µg/mL). The aqueous extract of T. cacao was the most active and was more active against W2 than 3D7 P. falciparum. Only T. procumbens displayed cytotoxicity (CC 50 <25 µg/mL). Conclusion:T. cacao, T. procumbens and P. americana possess antiplamodial activity. The activity illustrates their antimalarial potential, and provides rationale for their use in traditional malaria therapy in Ghana. It thus paves the way for further study of these plants for antiplasmodial lead compound(s).

Therapeutic Potentials of Antiviral Plants Used in Traditional African Medicine With COVID-19 in Focus: A Nigerian Perspective

“…Chinedu and colleagues in a review of plants used in malarial treatment, reported over one hundred indigenous plants which have been employed traditionally in the management of malaria infection in six African Countries namely Nigeria, Ghana, Ethopia, Benin, Cameroon and Togo ( Chinedu et al, 2014 ). Komlaga and colleagues have also evaluated some of the plants employed in the traditional management of malaria in Ghana, namely Persea americana Mill (Lauraceae), Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae) and Tridax procumbens (L.) L. (Compositae) and found that they have good antiplasmodial activities to justify their employment in such treatment ( Komlaga et al, 2015 ). African Medicinal plants used in treating malaria may therefore represent promising areas to investigate for their potential in treating viral infections including the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and HIV.…”

Tannins in Artemisia: the hidden treasure of prophylaxis

“…The effect is very strong against the W2 chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain: IC50 of 0.7µg/mL versus 3.4 for Persea americana and 4.4 for Tridax procumbens, 2 other known antimalarial plants. 43 Proanthocyanidins are much higher in Theobroma cocoa leaves than in grains: 15% DW vs 4%. 44 The Kuna Indians, who reside in an archipelago on the Caribbean Coast of Panama, have very low blood pressure (BP) levels, live longer than other Panamanians, and have a reduced frequency of myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and cancer.…”

Toxicity and Safety Implications of Herbal Medicines Used in Africa

“…Several scientific studies conducted on the biochemical properties of medicinal plants used in traditional medicines to treat various illnesses have confirmed their efficacy and safety especially in animals. As seen in several publications, the efficacy [9] and sometimes the safety of some medicinal plants and herbal medicines have been validated through research [10][11][12].…”