title: In vitro antimalarial activity of different extracts of Eremostachys macrophylla Montbr. & Auch.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The risk of drug resistance and the use of medicinal plants in malaria prevention and treatment have led to the search for new antimalarial compounds with natural origin.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the current study, six extracts with different polarity from aerial parts and rhizomes of Eremostachys macrophylla Montbr. & Auch., were screened for their antimalarial properties by cell-free β-hematin formation assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dichloromethane (DCM) extracts of both parts of plant showed significant antimalarial activities with IC50 values of 0.797 ± 0.016 mg/mL in aerial parts and 0.324 ± 0.039 mg/mL in rhizomes compared to positive control (Chloroquine, IC50 = 0.014 ± 0.003 mg/mL, IC90 = 0.163 ± 0.004 mg/mL). Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the most potent part (DCM extract of rhizomes) by vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) afforded seven fractions. Sixty percent ethyl acetate/n-hexane fraction showed considerable antimalarial activity with IC50 value of 0.047 ± 0.0003 mg/mL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From 6 extracts with different polarity of E. macrophylla,s aerial parts and rhizomes, the DCM extract of both parts were the most active extract in this assay. The preliminary phytochemical study on the VLC fractions of the most potent part persuades us to focus on purifying the active components of these extracts and to conduct further investigation towards in vivo evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Solmaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asnaashari
authors.affiliation: Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran ; Faculty of Traditional Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Heshmati Afshar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Atefeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
authors.affiliation: Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Sedigheh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bamdad Moghadam
authors.affiliation: Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran ; Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delazar
keywords: Antimalaria; Cell free assay; Eremostachys macrophylla; GC-MS