Antiplasmodial, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxic Activity of a Cameroonian Medicinal Plant Used for the Treatment of Malaria.

Introduction: Resistance to common antimalarial drugs and persistence of the endemicity of malaria constitute a major public health problem in Cameroon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiplasmodial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities of aqueous and ethanol extracts of used by Cameroonian traditional healers for the treatment of malaria.

Methods: Aqueous and ethanolic stem bark extracts were prepared according to standard procedures. The SYBR Green method was used for antiplasmodial activity on strains of sensitive to chloroquine (3D7) and resistant (Dd2). antioxidant activities of were determined using the scavenging activity of 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, nitric oxide, ferric reducing power, and hydrogen peroxide as well as their cytotoxicity on RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and red blood cells (RBC).

Results: The aqueous and ethanol extracts of showed antiplasmodial activity on the 3D7 strain with IC of 31.65 ± 0.79 g/ml and 19.41 ± 2.93 g/ml, respectively, as well as 37.64 ± 0.77 g/ml and 36.22 ± 1.04 g/ml for the Dd2 strain, respectively. The aqueous and ethanol extracts showed free radical scavenging properties. The IC aqueous and ethanol extract was approximately 0.0001737 g/ml, 42.92 g/ml, 1197 g/ml, 63.78 g/ml and 4.617 g/ml, 429.9 g/ml, 511 g/ml, and 69.32 g/ml for DPPH, NO, H2O2, and FRAP, respectively, which were compared to ascorbic acid (8.610 - 005 g/ml, 2901 g/ml, 3237 g/ml, and 18.57 g/ml). The aqueous and ethanol extracts of were found to be nontoxic with CC values of 950 ± 6.6 g/ml and 308.3 ± 45.4 g/ml, respectively. Haemolysis test showed that the two extracts were not toxic.

Conclusion: These results suggest that can serve as an antimalarial agent. However, further studies are needed to validate the use of as an antimalarial.