title: Antiplasmodial potential of extracts from two species of genus Blumea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A number of Blumea (Asteraceae) species are being used in traditional Chinese and Indian folklore medicines to cure various diseases including cancer, fungal and bacterial infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the in vitro antiplasmodial potential and cytotoxicity of various extracts and fractions of B. membranacea DC and B. eriantha DC and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chemical fingerprinting of their crude extracts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aerial parts and roots of B. membranacea and B. eriantha were extracted with ethanol and the extracts were successively partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol, which were later evaluated for their in vitro antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum NF-54 and in vitro cytotoxicities against non-cancerous Vero cell line. HPLC chemical fingerprinting was performed on extracts of B. membranacea and B. eriantha.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The n-hexane (MA1), ethyl acetate (MA2) fractions of aerial parts and n-butanol (MR3) fraction of roots of B. membranacea showed IC50 values of 17.4, 19.0 and 3.3 µg/mL respectively, while the n-hexane (EA1), ethyl acetate (EA2) fractions of aerial parts and ethyl acetate (ER2) fraction of roots of B. eriantha showed IC50 values of 25.0, 26.5 and 15.6 µg/mL, respectively, against P. falciparum NF-54. All these fractions were non-toxic to Vero cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both B. membranacea and B. eriantha possesses a high degree of selective antiplasmodial activity (selectivity index up to >60) and hence, may find their use in antimalarial phytopharmaceuticals as well as in discovery of a safer and novel antimalarial lead.
authors.affiliation: Medicinal Chemistry Department, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: Harish C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Upadhyay
authors.forename: Brijesh S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Sisodia
authors.forename: Ram K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Mahendra P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Darokar
authors.forename: Santosh K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Srivastava
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D008517:Phytotherapy; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D018517:Plant Roots; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects*; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents