Abstract
Malaria, leishmaniasis and human African trypanosomiasis continue to be major public health problems in need of new and more effective drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro antiprotozoal activity of twenty endemic medicinal plants collected from the island of Soqotra in the Indian Ocean. The plant materials were extracted with methanol and tested for antiplasmodial activity against erythrocytic schizonts of Plasmodium falciparum, for antileishmanial activity against intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and for antitrypanosomal activity against intracellular amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi and free trypomastigotes of T. brucei. To assess selectivity, cytotoxicity was determined against MRC-5 fibroblasts. Selective activity was obtained for Punica protopunica against Plasmodium (IC50 2.2 µg/mL) while Eureiandra balfourii and Hypoestes pubescens displayed activity against the three kinetoplastid parasites (IC50 < 10 µg/mL). Acridocarpus socotranus showed activity against T. brucei and T. cruzi (IC50 3.5 and 8.4 µg/mL). Ballochia atrovirgata, Dendrosicycos socotrana, Dracaena cinnabari and Euphorbia socotrana displayed non-specific inhibition of the parasites related to high cytotoxicity.
Highlights
Human parasitic infections still represent a challenging public health problem worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions
A total of 20 plant species belonging to 16 families were collected from the island of Soqotra and submitted for in vitro screening in continuation of our previous studies on antiplasmodial, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity of medicinal plants [27,28]
Within our ongoing effort to identify novel drugs against malaria, human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, this work focused on the rich flora of the island of Soqotra
Summary
Human parasitic infections still represent a challenging public health problem worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Malaria is the World’s most important parasitic disease, prevalent in about 100 countries and causing about 1 million deaths and 300 million infections per year [1,2]. African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Chagas disease and leishmaniasis affect the poorest populations in developing countries and have recently attracted the special focus of the WHO [3,4]. Leishmaniasis affects about 12 million people worldwide, with an increasing incidence of 2 million new cases every year and 350 million people at risk, despite the efforts made to fight the disease [5,6,7].
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