ISSN 2169-303X
International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN: 2169-303X Vol. 2 (6), pp. 219-224, September, 2013. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Evaluation of the antiplasmodial activity of extracts of plants used in traditional medicine in Kenya
Sylvain Beourou1,2,3, Anne-Cécile Le Lamer1,2, Séverine Maurel-Chevalley1,2, Patrick B. Chalo Mutiso4, Florence Souard1,2,a, Claude Moulis1,2, Nicolas Fabre1,2, Alexis Valentin1,2*
1Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry (Natural and Pharmacophores Redox substances), University of Toulouse, Narbonne, Toulouse, France.
2IRD, UMR 152 LPSNPR, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
3 Pasteur Institut of Côte d'Ivoire, Malariology Unit, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
4School of Biological sciences, University of Nairobi Herbarium, Nairobi, Kenya.
a Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, St. chemistry, St Martin d'Heres, University of Grenoble,France.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:[email protected]. Tel. 33 (0)5 62 25 68 93. Fax. 33 (0)5 62 25 98 02
Accepted 24 July, 2013
Abstract
Malaria is still a major public health problem because of resistance to therapeutic drugs. Among strategies for the development of new antimalarial, a study of plants traditionally used in Africa particularly that of Kenya against malaria has been pursued. The present study is to evaluate In vitro antiplasmodial activity of extracts from Kenyan plants commonly used by traditional healers for the treatment of malaria and other diseases. For each species, n-hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol extracts were evaluated on a chloroquine (CQ) -resistant (FcB1-Colombia) and on a CQ-sensitive (F32-Tanzania) strain of Plasmodium. The extracts were tested at 50, 10, 5, 1, 0.5, 0.1 and 0.05 µg/ml. Cytotoxicity on a fibroblast cell line (VERO) was also evaluated for the potentiality active extracts. Ten extracts from six plants with a good selectivity index (SI) whose, Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms (Alangiaceae) (IC50= 2.81 μg/ml; SI= 12.3 and 6.15 μg/ml with SI= 14.4 on FcB1 and F32, respectively), Cadaba farinosa Forssk. (Capparaceae) (IC50 = 3.05 μg/ml with SI> >32 on FcB1), Schizozygia coffaeoides Baill. (Apocynaceae) (IC50 = 4.80 μg/ml; SI=14.4 on FcB1) were found to have a promising antiplasmodial activity and should be pursued to characterize the constituents responsible for antiplasmodial activity.
Key words: Malaria, antiplasmodial, falciparum, scolopia zeyheri, apocynacea.