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Screening of medicinal plants from Reunion Island for antimalarial and cytotoxic activity

2008; Elsevier BV; Volume: 120; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jep.2008.09.005

1872-7573

Marie Jonville, Hippolyte Kodja, Laurent Humeau, Jacques Fournel, Patrick De Mol, M Cao, Luc Angenot, Michel Frédérich,

African Botany and Ecology Studies

Nine plants from Reunion Island, selected using ethnopharmacology and chemotaxonomy, were investigated for their potential antimalarial value.Thirty-eight extracts were prepared by maceration using CH(2)Cl(2) and MeOH, and were tested for in vitro activity against the 3D7 and W2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. The most active extracts were then tested for in vitro cytotoxicity on human WI-38 fibroblasts to determine the selectivity index. Those extracts were also investigated in vivo against Plasmodium berghei infected mice.Most active of the extracts tested were the dichloromethane leaves extracts of Nuxia verticillata Lam. (Buddlejaceae), Psiadia arguta Voigt. (Asteraceae), Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae), the methanol extracts from Aphloia theiformis (Vahl) Benn. (Aphloiaceae) bark, and Terminalia bentzoe L. (Combretaceae) leaves displaying in vitro IC(50) values ranging from 5.7 to 14.1mug/ml. Extracts from Psiadia, Aphloia at 200mg/(kgday) and Teminalia at 50mg/(kgday) also exhibited significant (p<0.0005) parasite inhibition in mice: 75.5%, 65.6% and 83.5%, respectively.Two plants showed interesting antimalarial activity with good selectivity: Aphloia theiformis and Terminalia bentzoe. Nuxia verticillata still needs to be tested in vivo, with a new batch of plant material.