Isolation, characterization, and biological evaluation of a potent anti-malarial drimane sesquiterpene from Warburgia salutaris stem bark.

Background: Malaria continues to be a global burden as the efficacy of most commercial anti-malarial drugs has been compromised by the evolution of parasite resistance. With the urgent need created for the development of alternative and more efficient anti-malarial drugs, this study focused on the evaluation of anti-malarial agents of the Warburgia salutaris stem bark.

Methods: The stem bark was extracted with dichloromethane followed by silica gel column chromatography that led to the isolation of iso-mukaadial acetate, a drimanoid sesquiterpene.