title: In vitro antiplasmodial screening of ethnopharmacologically selected South African plant species used for the treatment of malaria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plant species used by Venda people of South Africa in the treatment of malaria and associated symptoms were evaluated for their antiplasmodial efficacy as well as cytotoxic properties and some showed significant activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  In vitro antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxic properties were evaluated on 20 indigenous plant species. Ground plant material was extracted in dichloromethane: 50% methanol (1:1). Antiplasmodial activity was evaluated against the chloroquine-sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum (NF54). The cytotoxicity of the plant extracts were assessed against mammalian L-6 rat skeletal myoblast cells and the selectivity index (SI) calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 43 plant extracts evaluated, 10 exhibited pronounced antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ ≤ 5 μg/ml) with good therapeutic indices (SI ≥ 10). Lipophilic plant extracts were relatively more potent than polar extracts. Tabernaemontana elegans Stapf. (Apocynaceae) and Vangueria infausta Burch. subsp. infausta (Rubiaceae) extracts displayed significant antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ < 2 μg/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings of this study partly support the ethnomedical use of the investigated plant species by Venda people as antimalarial remedies. The study also highlights some of the knowledge gaps that require further phytochemical studies on the specified plant species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Science, Plant Sciences Complex, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0083, South Africa. Electronic address: johanna.bapela@up.ac.za.
authors.forename: M Johanna
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bapela
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Science, Plant Sciences Complex, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0083, South Africa.
authors.forename: J J Marion
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiser
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology; D029062:Apocynaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020834:Ethnopharmacology / Q000379:methods; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional / Q000379:methods; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D019666:Rubiaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Antiplasmodial activity; Malaria; Medicinal plants; Plasmodium falciparum