Antimalarial activity of Cinchona-like plants used to treat fever and malaria in Brazil.
For centuries, malaria was treated with the bark of Cinchona calisaya and Cinchona succirubra plants named "quinas" in Brazil, from which the quinine molecule was isolated. Other plant species known also as "quinas" are used to treat fever and malaria, like Deianira erubescens (roots and leaves), Strychnos pseudoquina (bark), and Remijia ferruginea (bark). Based on this popular knowledge, we evaluated the in vivo antimalarial activity of the ethanol crude extracts of these plant species in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Only Remijia ferruginea showed antimalarial activity, reducing parasitaemia and mortality at the highest dose tested. Its phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids but not quinine. The other two plant species were inactive.
Andrade-Neto
V F
VF
Laboratory of Malaria, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou/FIOCRUZ and Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Augusto de Lima 1715, CEP 30190-002 MG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Brandão
M G L
MG
Stehmann
J R
JR
Oliveira
L A
LA
Krettli
A U
AU
D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil; D002929:Cinchona / Q000737:chemistry*; D000431:Ethanol; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008517:Phytotherapy; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000187:drug effects*; D014867:Water
D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol