antiplasmodial activity of selected plants from the Colombian North Coast with low cytotoxicity.

BACKGROUND

Plants are an important option in the treatment of malaria, especially in endemic regions, and are a less expensive and more accessible alternative with a lower risk of toxicity. Colombia has a great diversity of plants, and evaluation of natural extracts could result in the discovery of new compounds for the development of antimalarial drugs. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the antiplasmodial activity and the cytotoxicity of plant extracts from the Colombian North Coast against .

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The antiplasmodial activity of 12 plant species from the Colombian North Coast that are used in traditional medicine was evaluated through cultures of , and the cytotoxicity of extracts of these species to human cells was determined. Plant extracts with high antiplasmodial activity were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening.

RESULTS

Extracts from five plants had promising antiplasmodial activity. Specifically, (Burseraceae) (bark), . (Malvaceae) (whole plant), L. (Rutaceae) (leaves), L. (Euphorbiaceae) (seeds), and . (Capparaceae) (leaves). Extracts presented 50% inhibitory concentration values between 1 and 9 μg/ml. Compared to no extract, these active plant extracts did not show cytotoxic effects on mononuclear cells or hemolytic activity in healthy human erythrocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained from this study of antiplasmodial activity suggest that active plant extracts from the Colombian North Coast are promising for future bioassay-guided fractionation to allow the isolation of active compounds and to elucidate their mechanism of action against spp.