title: Activity of Eurycoma longifolia root extract against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro.
abstract: The habitats of Eurycoma longifolia Jack, a slender tree, are jungles in Malaysia and Indonesia. It belongs to the family Simaroubaceae and is a source of quassinoids with anabolic, antimalarial and cytostatic activity. In this study, conducted during 2008 in Mae Sot, Thailand, a standardized extract of E. longifolia containing three major quassinoids, eurycomanone (1), 13,21-dihydroeurycomanone (2) and 13alpha(21)-epoxyeurycomanone (3) was evaluated for antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum and its activity has been compared with that of artemisinin, using 38 fresh parasite isolates and assessment of inhibition of schizont maturation. The IC(50), IC(90) and IC(99) values for artemisinin were 4.30, 45.48 and 310.97 microg/l, and those for the root extract from E. longifolia 14.72, 139.65 and 874.15 microg/l respectively. The GMCOC for artemisinin was 337.81 mug/l, and for the plant extract it was 807.41 microg/l. The log-concentration probit regressions were parallel. The inhibitory activity of the E. longifolia extract was higher than that expected from the three quassinoids isolated from the plant, suggesting synergism between the quassinoids or the presence of other unidentified compounds.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. walter.wernsdorfer@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Walther H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wernsdorfer
authors.forename: Sabariah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Kit Lam
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Kanungnit
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Congpuong
authors.forename: Gunther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wernsdorfer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D029441:Carica / Q000737:chemistry*; D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D035701:Eurycoma / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D010976:Platelet Count; D013535:Suspensions; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D013535:Suspensions