title: In Vitro and In Vivo Antimalarial Activity Assays of Seeds from Balanites aegyptiaca: Compounds of the Extract Show Growth Inhibition and Activity against Plasmodial Aminopeptidase.
abstract: Balanites aegyptiaca (Balanitaceae) is a widely grown desert plant with multiuse potential. In the present paper, a crude extract from B. aegyptiaca seeds equivalent to a ratio of 1 : 2000 seeds to the extract was screened for antiplasmodial activity. The determined IC(50) value for the chloroquine-susceptible Plasmodium falciparum NF54 strain was 68.26 μg/μL ± 3.5. Analysis of the extract by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detected 6-phenyl-2(H)-1,2,4-triazin-5-one oxime, an inhibitor of the parasitic M18 Aspartyl Aminopeptidase as one of the compounds which is responsible for the in vitro antiplasmodial activity. The crude plant extract had a K(i) of 2.35 μg/μL and showed a dose-dependent response. After depletion of the compound, a significantly lower inhibition was determined with a K(i) of 4.8 μg/μL. Moreover, two phenolic compounds, that is, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-phenol and 2,4-di-tert-butyl-phenol, with determined IC(50) values of 50.29 μM ± 3 and 47.82 μM ± 2.5, respectively, were detected. These compounds may contribute to the in vitro antimalarial activity due to their antioxidative properties. In an in vivo experiment, treatment of BALB/c mice with the aqueous Balanite extract did not lead to eradication of the parasites, although a reduced parasitemia at day 12 p.i. was observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Natural Sciences, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Justus Von Liebig Street 20, 53359 Rheinbach, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kusch
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deininger
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.forename: Rudeka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maniako
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haubrich
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pommerening
authors.forename: Paul Kong Thoo
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Achim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoerauf
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaiser