Anti-malarial activities of Andrographis paniculata and Hedyotis corymbosa extracts and their combination with curcumin

Kirti Mishra,Bijay K Swain,Aditya P Dash,Nrisingha Dey

doi:10.1186/1475-2875-8-26

Kirti Mishra, Bijay K Swain + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-8-26

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Abstract

BackgroundHerbal extracts of Andrographis paniculata (AP) and Hedyotis corymbosa (HC) are known as hepato-protective and fever-reducing drugs since ancient time and they have been used regularly by the people in the south Asian sub-continent. Methanolic extracts of these two plants were tested in vitro on choloroquine sensitive (MRC-pf-20) and resistant (MRC-pf-303) strains of Plasmodium falciparum for their anti-malarial activity.MethodsGrowth inhibition was determined using different concentrations of these plant extracts on synchronized P. falciparum cultures at the ring stage. The interactions between these two plant extracts and individually with curcumin were studied in vitro. The performance of these two herbal extracts in isolation and combination were further evaluated in vivo on Balb/c mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA and their efficacy was compared with that of curcumin. The in vivo toxicity of the plant derived compounds as well as their parasite stage-specificity was studied.ResultsThe 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of AP (7.2 μg/ml) was found better than HC (10.8 μg/ml). Combination of these two herbal drugs showed substantial enhancement in their anti-malarial activity. Combinatorial effect of each of these with curcumin also revealed anti-malarial effect. Additive interaction between the plant extracts (AP + HC) and their individual synergism with curcumin (AP+CUR, HC+CUR) were evident from this study. Increased in vivo potency was also observed with the combination of plant extracts over the individual extracts and curcumin. Both the plant extracts were found to inhibit the ring stage of the parasite and did not show any in vivo toxicity, whether used in isolation or in combination.ConclusionBoth these two plant extracts in combination with curcumin could be an effective, alternative source of herbal anti-malarial drugs.

Highlights

Herbal extracts of Andrographis paniculata (AP) and Hedyotis corymbosa (HC) are known as hepato-protective and fever-reducing drugs since ancient time and they have been used regularly by the people in the south Asian sub-continent
Individual plant extracts were evaporated to dryness at 37°C by the help of a Speed Vac (Model 7811001, Labconco, USA) and the residue was stored in aliquots at 4°C until tested
Growth inhibition assay of P. falciparum using A. paniculata and H. corymbosa extracts The plant extracts of AP (A. paniculata) and HC (H. corymbosa) manifested significant activities against both the resistant and sensitive strains of P. falciparum

Summary

Introduction

Herbal extracts of Andrographis paniculata (AP) and Hedyotis corymbosa (HC) are known as hepato-protective and fever-reducing drugs since ancient time and they have been used regularly by the people in the south Asian sub-continent. Methanolic extracts of these two plants were tested in vitro on choloroquine sensitive (MRC-pf-20) and resistant (MRC-pf-303) strains of Plasmodium falciparum for their anti-malarial activity. The effective anti-malarial activity of the two plant-based drugs, quinine and artemisinin, has generated much interest to explore other plant resources for their possible antimalarial efficacy. Combination drug regimens have become the practice of choice because of their increased therapeutic efficacy over monotherapy and the other benefits include decreased cytotoxicity, delay or prevention of the development of drug resistance [8]

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