Abstract
BackgroundThe resistance of human malaria parasites to anti-malarial compounds has become considerable concern, particularly in view of the shortage of novel classes of anti-malarial drugs. One way to prevent resistance is by using new compounds that are not based on existing synthetic antimicrobial agents.ResultsSensitivity of 100 Plasmodium falciparum isolates to chloroquine, quinine, amodiaquine, mefloquine, sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine, artemisinin, Momordica charantia (‘Ejirin’) Diospyros monbuttensis (‘Egun eja’) and Morinda lucida (‘Oruwo’) was determined using the in vitro microtest (Mark III) technique to determine the IC50 of the drugs. All the isolates tested were sensitive to quinine, mefloquine and artesunate. Fifty-one percent of the isolates were resistant to chloroquine, 13% to amodiaquine and 5% to sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine. Highest resistance to chloroquine (68.9%) was recorded among isolates from Yewa zone while highest resistance to amodiaquine (30%) was observed in Ijebu zone. Highest resistance to sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine was recorded in Yewa and Egba zones, respectively. A positive correlation was observed between the responses to artemisinin and mefloquine (P<0.05), artemisinin and quinine (P<0.05) and quinine and mefloquine (P<0.05). A negative correlation was observed between the responses to chloroquine and mefloquine (P>0.05). Highest anti-plasmodial activity was obtained with the ethanolic extract of D. monbuttensis (IC50 = 3.2nM) while the lowest was obtained from M. lucida (IC50 =25nM).ConclusionsNatural products isolated from plants used in traditional medicine, which have potent anti-plasmodial action in vitro, represent potential sources of new anti-malarial drugs.
Highlights
The resistance of human malaria parasites to anti-malarial compounds has become considerable concern, in view of the shortage of novel classes of anti-malarial drugs
Natural products isolated from plants used in traditional medicine, which have potent anti-plasmodial action in vitro, represent potential sources of new anti-malarial drugs [19,20]
IC50 implies that 50% of the parasite could not mature to schizont stage at that drug concentration while IC99 implies that the anti-malarial drugs inhibited 99% of the parasites from maturing to schizont stage at that concentration
Summary
The resistance of human malaria parasites to anti-malarial compounds has become considerable concern, in view of the shortage of novel classes of anti-malarial drugs. The main cause of the worsening malaria situation in recent years has been the spread of drug-resistant parasites. This has led to rising malaria-associated mortality [1]. Medicinal plants have been used in virtually all cultures as a source of medicine [8] and for a long time natural products were the only sources of medication [9]. Several medicinal plants have been used locally to treat malaria infection. Medicinal plants, such as Momordica charantia (local name: Ejirin wewe), Momordica balsamina (local name: Ejirin), Ageratum conyzoides (local name: Imi Eshu), Diospyros monbuttensis (local name, Egun Eja), have been used to treat one ailment or the other in Africa, especially Nigeria [10,11,12]
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