Plasmodium falciparum: Assessment of Selectivity of Action of Chloroquine, Alchornea cordifolia, Ficus polita, and Other Drugs by a Tetrazolium-Based Colorimetric Assay.

A tetrazolium-based colorimetric selective assay (MTT-based CSA) was developed to assess the selectivity of antimalarial drugs. This in vitro assay, unlike all others, measures the ability of drugs to indirectly protect red blood cells (RBCs) from Plasmodium-falciparum-induced destruction. Optimum incubation time and number of cells needed were 5 days and 23 × 10(6) RBCs per well, respectively.