Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Laboratoire Insulaire du Vivant et de l'Environnement (LIVE), Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Pharm Biol. 2011 Apr;49(4):369-76. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2010.517541. Epub 2011 Feb 2.
With the emergence of strains multiresistant to antimalarial drugs, the search for new active molecules remains a priority. Ethnopharmacology appears to be a good method of selection in such investigations.
The aim of this research work is to select plants used in Melanesian traditional medicine, in New Caledonia and Vanuatu, which should be a promising source for the isolation of new antimalarial drugs.
Forty-seven plant extracts belonging to 12 families, traditionally used by the Melanesian people or belonging to an antimalarial known genus, were screened in vitro for antimalarial activity on Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine (CQ)-resistant (FcB1) and CQ-sensitive (HB3) strains. They were also tested for their inhibitory effects on a protein kinase (Pfnek) and their cytotoxicity on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cells.
Among all extracts, four displayed strong in vitro activities against P. falciparum: Gardenia urvillei Montrouzier, Scleria polycarpa Boeckeler, Terminalia catappa L. and Acronychia laevis J.R. & J.G. Forster, the latter being also toxic on MCF7 cells. Except for the extracts of S. polycarpa, all others that were active on P. falciparum, also possess an inhibitory effect on Pfnek.
These results confirm that ethnopharmacology is an excellent approach for such investigations. The two countries considered clearly present advantages in the field. Indeed, local populations keep their traditional knowledge alive, and their flora is exceptionally rich. In New Caledonia, the high endemicity rate (74%) ranks the island as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. As a consequence, chances to discover new active natural compounds are also high.
随着抗疟药物耐药菌株的出现，寻找新的有效分子仍然是当务之急。民族药理学似乎是此类研究中一种很好的选择方法。
本研究工作的目的是选择在新喀里多尼亚和瓦努阿图用于美拉尼西亚传统医学的植物，这些植物可能是分离新抗疟药物的有希望的来源。
筛选了 47 种植物提取物，这些植物提取物属于 12 个科，传统上被美拉尼西亚人使用，或者属于已知的抗疟属，对耐氯喹（CQ）的恶性疟原虫（FcB1）和敏感的（HB3）株进行了体外抗疟活性筛选。还测试了它们对蛋白激酶（Pfnek）的抑制作用以及对人乳腺癌腺癌细胞（MCF7）的细胞毒性。
在所有提取物中，有四种对恶性疟原虫表现出很强的体外活性：栀子，多穗草，诃子和 Acronychia laevis J.R. & J.G. Forster，后者对 MCF7 细胞也有毒性。除了 S. polycarpa 的提取物外，所有对 P. falciparum 有活性的提取物，也对 Pfnek 具有抑制作用。
这些结果证实，民族药理学是此类研究的绝佳方法。所考虑的两个国家显然在这方面具有优势。实际上，当地居民保持着他们的传统知识，并且他们的植物群非常丰富。在新喀里多尼亚，74%的高流行率使该岛成为世界生物多样性热点之一。因此，发现新的活性天然化合物的机会也很高。
