title: Vangueria infausta root bark: in vivo and in vitro antiplasmodial activity.
abstract: Vangueria infausta burch subsp. infausta (Rubiaceae) produces fruits eaten by humans and animals. The leaf, fruit, stem bark and root bark are used as a remedy for many ailments and the roots are used to treat malaria. In this study, concentrations of fractions of the V. infausta root bark extract that produce 50% inhibition (IC50) are determined using the ability of the extract to inhibit the uptake of [G3H]-hypoxanthine by P. falciparum cultured in vitro. The root bark extract showed antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei in mice. It gave a parasite suppression of 73.5% in early infection and a repository effect of 88.7%. One fraction obtained from a chloroform extract gave an IC50 value of 3.8 +/- 1.5 microg/mL and 4.5 +/- 2.3 microg/mL against D6 and W2 strains of P. falciparum, respectively, and another from the butanol extract gave an IC50 value of 3.9 +/- 0.3 microg/mL against the D6 strain. Chloroquine had an IC50 value of 0.016 microg/mL and 0.029 microg/mL against D6 and W2 strains, respectively. The plant showed the presence of flavonoids, coumarins, tannins, terpenoids, anthraquinones and saponins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. tonia603@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Abosl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mbukwa
authors.forename: R R T
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Majinda
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Raserok
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yenesew
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Midiwo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akala
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liyala
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Waters
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018517:Plant Roots; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000187:drug effects; D019666:Rubiaceae
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002738:Chloroquine