In vitro Antileishmanial and Antimalarial Activity of Selected Plants of Nepal

2016-08-14T14-35-21Z
Source: Journal of Intercultural Ethnopharmacology
Bishnu Joshi, Sarah Hendrickx, Lila Magar, Niranjan Parajuli, Pierre Dorny, Louis Maes.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Nepal is rich in biodiversity and no extensive effort has yet been carried out to screen plants that are used by traditional healers against parasitic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antileishmanial and antimalarial activity of crude methanolic or ethanolic extracts of 30 selected plant species. Materials and methods: Crude extracts of leaves, twigs, aerial parts and/or roots were evaluated for in vitro inhibitory activity against intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and against erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum. To determine the selectivity index (SI), cytotoxicity was assessed on MRC5 cells in parallel. Results: Three plant species revealed antiprotozoal activity, namely Phragmites vallatoria, Ampelocissus tomentosa for which no antiprotozoal activity has previously been reported, and Terminalia chebula. The extract of A. tomentosa exhibited moderate activity against L. infantum with an IC50 of 13.2 ± 4.3 µg/ml and SI >3 while T. chebula exhibited fairly good antiplasmodial activity with IC50 values of 4.5 ± 2.4 µg/ml and SI values >5. Conclusion: In countries like Nepal where the current health system is unable to combat the burden of endemic parasitic diseases, evaluation of local plants as a potential source of drug will help in expanding the treatment options. The extent of untapped resources available in these countries provides an opportunity for future bioprospecting. Keywords: Leishmania, Plasmodium, crude plant extracts, in vitro, Nepal


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