Plasmodium transmission blocking activities of Vernonia amygdalina extracts and isolated compounds.

Background: Medicinal plants are a validated source for discovery of new leads and standardized herbal medicines. The aim of this study was to assess the activity of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts and isolated compounds against gametocytes and sporogonic stages of Plasmodium berghei and to validate the findings on field isolates of Plasmodium falciparum.

Methods: Aqueous (Ver-H2O) and ethanolic (Ver-EtOH) leaf extracts were tested in vivo for activity against sexual and asexual blood stage P.