Exploration of the traditional Chinese medicine extracts as antimalaria drugs.

Abstract

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium genus parasites and the most fatal infections are caused by Plasmodium falciparum. The discovery of artemisinin from the Chinese Medicine herb Artemisia annua has been pivotal in malaria treatment. With the emergence of artemisinin resistance, there is a need to explore new antimalarial compounds which have potential antimalarial activity. An earlier investigation had established (-)-catechin found in Areca catechu to be a potential antimalarial compound. Fractions from Areca catechu not tested previously were investigated, together with 9 new herbs, for potential antimalarial activity. (-)-catechin was found to be less effective against P. falciparum than other tea catechins. 3 fractions of the Areca catechu crude extract showed antimalarial activity. Out of the 9 herbs tested, Huang Qin and Ai Ye extracts showed significant antimalarial activity, while Bie Jia, Di Gu Pi and He Shou Wu extracts did not exhibit antimalarial activity. Further studies on these fractions and herbs should be carried out for the isolation and identification of new potential antimalarial compounds.