Biological screening of Kenya medicinal plants using Artemia Sali na L. (Artemiidae).
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Date
2011Author
Kiama, S G
Gathumbi, P K
Gakuya, D W
Mbaria, J M
Nguta, J M
Kabasa, J D
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Medicinal plants constitute important components of flora and are widely distributed in different
regions of Kenya. Based on ethnopharmacological significance, we collected several medicinal
plants from South Coast, Kenya used in traditional medicine to treat malaria and evaluated for
their toxicity. In the present study, brine shrimp (Artemia salina) test was used to screen
antimalarial plants for their cytotoxicity. A total of 80 crude extracts from 30 plant species
distributed among 18 plant families were evaluated for their toxicity against Artemia salina.
Cytotoxicity results showed that 23 (57.5%) of organic and 7 (17.5%) of aqueous extracts
showed significant toxicity to the brine shrimp (LC50 < 100 μg/ml). Organic extracts obtained
from the leaves of Momordica foetida Schumach. (Cucurbitaceae), stem bark of Warbugia
stuhlmannii Engl. (Canallaceae) and the root bark of Zanthoxylum chalybeum (Eng) Engl.
(Rutaceae) exhibited potent activity with LC50 values of 8, 8 and 11 μg/ml respectively. The
toxicity data obtained suggest that some of these plants would not make good malaria treatments,
suggesting a need for further in vivo toxicological studies. The present study could be useful in
the search for new antitumor compounds from the Kenyan flora.
Citation
Pharmacologyonline 2: 458-478 (2011)Publisher
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology & Parasitology Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Nairobi