Antimalarial Activity of Some Plants Used in Traditional Medicine in Uganda

C Obua; O Odyek; W W Anokbonggo; S K APIO; P Waako; J W Ogwal-Okeng

C Obua Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University, P. 0. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
O Odyek Department of Pharmacy, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
W W Anokbonggo Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University, P. 0. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
S K APIO Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 4862, Kampala, Uganda
P Waako Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University, P. 0. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
J W Ogwal-Okeng Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University, P. 0. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda

Keywords: Antimalarial activity, Plumbago zeylenica, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, plumbagin

Abstract

This work was done to identify some of the plants used in the treatment of malaria
in Uganda and to investigate their efficacy in the in vitro assays. Plumbago zeylenica
and Cryptolepis sanguinolenta showed marked activity on the chloroquine resistant
and chloroquine sensitive strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Plumbagin, a quinone,
was isolated from Plumbago zeylenica, and found to have antimalarial activity with
IC50 of 178 nglml on chloroquine-sensitive and 188 nglml on chloroquine-resistant
strains. Cytotoxicity assays on KB cell lines indicated that the extract was selective
for Plasmodium falciparum. The Selectivity Index was 5 in both strains of Plasmodium falciparum.