[Natural concentration of antimalaric components in Tropical arthropods (in vitro)].
Alcohol, hexane and dichlorometane extracts of 751 samples of Costa Rican arthropods were studied for the presence of antimalaric components. With Plasmodium berghei we set an in vitro model in which the effect of the extract was determined by staining of the parasites with cresil brilliant blue. Active extracts at concentration of 50 mg or less, were considered positive. Promissory extracts were found in the orders Lepidoptera (24.1%), Coleoptera (32.8%), Hemiptera (38.5%) and Polydesmida (81.3%). Since most of the Lepidoptera samples were in the immature stages, the relation with the host plant was analyzed. Cannaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Crisobalanaceae, Lauraceae, Fagaceae, Ulmaceae, Rosaceae, Asteraceae, Rubiaceae, Lauraceae and Caprifoliaceae were related with the Lepidoptera larvae, and an antimalaric effect has been reported in most of these families. In the orders Polydesmida, Opiliones and Blattodea, the extract from adults also had some important effect, probably because all of them fed on plants. Polydesmida and Opiliones have chemical substances that probably serve as defensive purposes; these chemicals could also have some antiparasitic effect. Therefore, the detection of antimalaric components in arthropod species led to the identification of plants with promissory antimalaric components.
Chinchilla-Carmona
Misael
M
Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Microbiologia, Universidad de Costa Rica 2060 San José, Costa Rica. abriceno@racsa.co.cr
Guerrero Bermúdez
Olga Marta
OM
Tamayo-Castillo
Giselle
G
Appel
Ana Sittenfeld
AS
Jiménez-Somarribas
Alberto
A
Valerio-Campos
Idalia
I
D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001181:Arthropods / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014020:Tissue Extracts