A. El-tahir et al., Antiplasmodial activity of selected sudanese medicinal plants with emphasis on Acacia nilotica, PHYTOTHER R, 13(6), 1999, pp. 474-478
Twenty-two plant organs from eleven plants comprising five families were ex
tracted and screened for antiplasmodial activity in vitro against Plasmodiu
m falciparum 3D7 (chloroquine sensitive) and Dd2 (chloroquine resistant and
pyrimethamine sensitive). Fifty nine percent of plant extracts from 22 ext
racts exerted activity on P. falciparum strain 3D7 with an IC50 less than 5
0 mu g/mL, whereas 43% of plant extracts showed an IC50 value within 50 mu
g/mL on Dd2 strains. Plant extracts from Gardenia lutea, Haplophyllum tuber
culatum, Cassia tora, Acacia nilotica and Aristolochia bracteolata possesse
d IC50 values less than 5 mu g/mL on both tested strains, Bioassay guided f
ractionation of A. nilotica revealed that the ethyl acetate extract possess
ed the highest activity (IC50 = 1.5 mu g/mL). Fraction 2 (R-f = 0.75) prepa
red by preparative chromatography showed the highest activity on P, falcipa
rum (IC50 = 1.7 mu g/mL). Phytochemical analysis indicated that the most ac
tive phase contained terpenoids and tannins and was devoid of alkaloids and
saponins, The effect of plant extracts on lymphocyte proliferation showed
low toxicity to the hunan cells. This plant has been subjected to long term
clinical trials in folk medicine and is a promising plant, Copyright (C) 1
999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.