Abstract
The emergence and resurgence of P. falciparum resistance to generations of antimalarial drugs have prompted the search for new, effective, and safe antimalarial agents. This study aimed at investigating the in vivo antiplasmodial activity of the 70% hydroethanolic extract and constituents of the stem bark of Myrianthus libericus based on its ethnomedicinal use as an antimalarial agent. The antiplasmodial activity was assessed in Swiss albino mice employing the 4-day suppressive and Rane's tests. MLB significantly (p < 0.0001) suppressed parasitaemia by 52.26%, 65.40%, and 77.11% at 50, 100, and 200 mg·kg−1 doses, respectively, in the 4-day suppressive test. In Rane's test, the highest parasitaemia suppression of 72.50% was recorded at a dose of 200 mg·kg−1 of the extract. Fractionation of the bioactive ethyl acetate fraction by solvent-solvent partitioning and column chromatography led to the isolation of friedelan-3-one and stigmasterol being reported for the first time from this species. The compounds demonstrated remarkable antiplasmodial activity by suppressing parasitaemia by 65–72% in the suppressive test and 61–70% in the curative test at doses of 10–30 mg·kg−1. Both the extract and the isolated compounds significantly prolonged the survival time of infected mice and averted the cardinal signs associated with P. berghei-induced malaria including weight loss, hypothermia, and haemolysis. The results obtained confirm the prospect of M. libericus as an important source of new antimalarial compounds and justifies its folkloric use as an antimalarial agent.
Highlights
Malaria is a life-threatening infectious disease which remains persistent in many regions of the world especially in Africa where a very high prevalence rate of 93% was reported in 2017 [1]
The control and eradication of malaria have been hindered by the emergence and resurgence of P. falciparum resistance to several generations of antimalarial drugs [4]. is trend has prompted several research studies which attempt to discover new, effective, and safe
Donor albino rats infected with chloroquinesensitive Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain) and healthy Swiss albino mice weighing between 18 and 26 g were purchased from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, and transferred to the animal house of the Pharmacology Department, KNUST, Ghana. e animals had access to a standard pellet diet and water ad libitum
Summary
Malaria is a life-threatening infectious disease which remains persistent in many regions of the world especially in Africa where a very high prevalence rate of 93% was reported in 2017 [1]. Ethnobotanical surveys have identified a number of plants used in traditional medicine for the effective treatment of malaria [10,11,12]. One of such plants is Myrianthus libericus Rendle (Cecropiaceae), popularly known as “Nyankoma-nini” (Akan-Asante) in the local Ghanaian language [13]. M. libericus is a small tree which grows up to about 10 m on wet and swampy soils in the forest zones of tropical African countries including Guinea, Liberia, and Ghana It bears simple elliptical green leaves with serrated margins and acuminate apices [14]. Ere is no report on the antiplasmodial effect of M. libericus to the best of our knowledge. e aim of this study was to investigate the antiplasmodial activity of the hydroethanolic stem bark extract, fractions, and bioactive constituents of M. libericus
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