Antimalarial activity and acute toxicity of four plants traditionally used in treatment of malaria in Msambweni District of Kenya

Abstract

Malaria is a major and constant public health problem in the world. It kills more than one million people per year especially in developing countries where opportunities for treatment are minimal. Since plants have been previously used as a source of antimalarial drugs, they can provide alternatives in the development of drugs against multidrug-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum malaria causing parasite. This study aimed to investigate in vivo antimalarial activity and acute toxicity of selected plants used in traditional medicine for treatment of malaria. Results show that organic root extracts of Securidaca longepedunculata Fres. (Polygalaceae) exhibited the highest chemosuppression of parasitaemia (91.03%) among all the crude extracts tested. All the extracts of Commiphora schimperi (Berg.) Engl. (Burseraceae), Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae) and Grewia hexaminta Burret had chemosuppression levels below 25%. All extracts of C. schimperi, R. communis and G. hexaminta were safe to mice at 2000 mg/kg, while S. longepedunculata was considered non toxic at 300 mg/kg. These results showed that crude extracts of S. longepedunculata demonstrated promising antimalarial activity and there is a potential of isolation of active lead compounds from its extracts.