Investigation of antiplasmodial efficacy of lupeol and ursolic acid isolated from leaves extract.

This study emphasizes on the investigation of antiplasmodial activity of triterpenoids isolated from leaves. An unsaponified fraction of petroleum ether extract of plant leaves was subjected to silica gel column chromatography which led to the isolation of two known triterpenoids; namely ursolic acid and lupeol. These compounds were evaluated for antiplasmodial activity by schizont maturation inhibition assay using 3D7 Plasmodium strains. Both, ursolic acid and lupeol were found to exhibit significant antiplasmodial effect with an IC value of 18 µg/ml and 3.8 µg/ml, respectively. This study further confirms the traditional role of plant in the treatment of malaria which may be attributed to ursolic acid and lupeol.