title: Inhibition of P. falciparum by steroids isolated from Solanum nudum.
abstract: Resistance to antimalarials has been widely reported and constitutes a major problem around the world. In Colombia, resistance of P. falciparum to chloroquine has been reported as 47%-97%, to amodiaquine 3%-7% and to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine as 9%-13%. The search for new antimalarials is a priority and with this aim we studied the in vitro antimalarial activity of plants used by traditional healers. Incorporation of (3)H-hypoxanthine by the strain FCB-2 of P. falciparum was used to measure the degree of inhibition produced by the steroids SN-1 tumacone A (C(29)H(44)O(5)), SN-2 tumacone B (C(27)H(42)O(4)), SN-3 tumacoside A (C(35)H(54)O(10)), and SN-4 tumacoside B (C(33)H(52)O(9)). All compounds were obtained from the dried stems and leaves of Solanum nudum. The mean growth inhibition of P. falciparum was 71%, 56%, 21% and 12% with each of the compounds SN-1, SN-2, SN-3 and SN-4. These results constitute an important discovery since they may account for the antimalarial properties of extracts of Solanum nudum by a sensitive method. Future work should include study of the in vivo anti-malarial effect of these extracts.
authors.affiliation: Malaria Group, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pabón
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carmona
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maestre
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blair
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D019271:Hypoxanthine / Q000378:metabolism; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D019657:Solanaceae; D013256:Steroids / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts; C453367:SN-1 tumacone A; C453366:SN-2 tumacone B; C453370:SN-3 tumacoside A; C453369:SN-4 tumacoside B; D013256:Steroids; D019271:Hypoxanthine