Terpenoids from Euphorbiaceae as a source of antimalarial medicines: A literature review

Abstract

Background: Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. Plasmodium falciparum is a parasite that causes the most deaths. Currently, there is resistance to various antimalarial drugs. For this reason, it is necessary to search for new antimalarial agents. Medicinal plants have been shown to play an important role in treating malaria for thousands of years. Some of Euphorbiaceae family plants contains terpenoid compounds, which are compounds with antimalarial activity. Objective: The present review aims to provide an overview of the terpenoid compounds from Euphorbiaceae family as an antimalarial. Method: Comprehensive information on Euphorbiaceae family from 2002-2022 was searched for literature relevant to major science-based data, including Scopus, Science, ScienceDirect, Pubmed, and SciFinder, using appropriate keyword combinations. Result: A total of 15 papers were included in this review. The terpenoids isolated from 14 species of Euphorbiaceae family and reported to possess antimalarial activity are presented. Conclusion: Terpenoids are found in almost all parts of Euphorbiaceae family plants and are reported to have moderate to high antimalarial activity.  Screening of antimalarial terpenoid activity in Ephorbiaceae family plants can be a key step in the source and development of new antimalarial drugs.