In vitro and in vivo antimalarial evaluations of myrtle extract, a plant traditionally used for treatment of parasitic disorders.
Based on the collected ethnobotanical data from the Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center (TMRC), Iran, Myrtus communis L. (myrtle) was selected for the assessment of in vitro and in vivo antimalarial and cytotoxic activities. Methanolic extract of myrtle was prepared from the aerial parts and assessed for antiplasmodial activity, using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay against chloroquine-resistant (K1) and chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The 4-day suppressive test was employed to determine the parasitemia suppression of the myrtle extract against P. berghei in vivo. The IC50 values of myrtle extract were 35.44 µg/ml against K1 and 0.87 µg/ml against 3D7. Myrtle extract showed a significant suppression of parasitaemia (84.8 ± 1.1% at 10 mg/kg/day) in mice infected with P. berghei after 4 days of treatment. Cytotoxic activity was carried out against mammalian cell lines using methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. No cytotoxic effect on mammalian cell lines up to 100 µg/mL was shown. The results support the traditional use of myrtle in malaria. Phytochemical investigation and understanding the mechanism of action would be in our upcoming project.
Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center (TMRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 14155-6354, Tehran 1516745811, Iran ; School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Farzaneh
F
Naghibi
Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center (TMRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 14155-6354, Tehran 1516745811, Iran ; School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Somayeh
S
Esmaeili
Herbal Medicine Research Center, Institute for Medical Research, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Noor Rain
NR
Abdullah
School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi
M
Nateghpour
Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center (TMRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 14155-6354, Tehran 1516745811, Iran.
Mahdieh
M
Taghvai
Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center (TMRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 14155-6354, Tehran 1516745811, Iran.
Siamak
S
Kamkar
Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center (TMRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 14155-6354, Tehran 1516745811, Iran ; School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mahmoud
M
Mosaddegh
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D031651:Myrtus / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity
D010936:Plant Extracts; D002738:Chloroquine