In vitro anti-plasmodial activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Moringa oleifera and phyllanthus amarus
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Date
2015-04
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Publisher
International Journal of Biological Chemistry
Abstract
Many herbal medicinal products contribute to the treatment of malaria in endemic areas. In Ghana, there is documented evidence of the use of several plant species in the management of both infectious and non-infectious diseases. This study sought to validate the activity of extracts from two such plants, Phyllanthus amarus and Moringa oleifera, against Plasmodium falciparum. Anti-plasmodial activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of M. oleifera (whole plant and twig) and P. amarus (whole plant and stem) were assessed against the 3D7 laboratory strain of P. falciparum. Extracts were evaluated in vitro at concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50, 100 μg mL-1 and the level of potency in each case was expressed as the concentration of the extract that inhibited 50% of the parasites (IC50) relative to negative controls (100% parasitaemia). Artesunate was used as a positive standard in all assays. All extracts showed significant inhibition of parasite growth, with (IC0) less than 50 μg mL-1, except the aqueous extract of the whole plant of P. amarus which showed a relatively high IC50 of 115.43 μg mL-1. Interestingly, increasing concentration of ethanolic extract of combined twig and leaves of Moringa oleifera reduced inhibition of the parasite growth while a decreasing extract concentration resulted in increased parasite inhibition. The extracts of M. oleifera and P. amarus demonstrated potential anti-plasmodial activity which can be explored in malaria therapy. It is of interest to identify, isolate and characterize the active anti-plasmodial bioactive compounds from the plants. © 2015 Academic Journals Inc.
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Keywords
IC50, Parasitaemia, Percent inhibition, Plant extracts, Plasmodium falciparum