Available online 8 April 2015
Review
Antimalarial activity of medicinal plants from the democratic republic of Congo: A review
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Malaria
is the most prevalent parasitic disease and the foremost cause of
morbidity and mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For the
management of this disease, a large Congolese population recourses to
traditional medicinal plants. To date the efficacy and safety of many of
these plants have been validated scientifically in rodent malaria
models. In order to generate scientific evidence of traditional remedies
used in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the management of malaria,
and show the potential of Congolese plants as a major source of
antimalarial drugs, this review highlights the antiplasmodial and
toxicological properties of the Congolese antimalarial plants
investigated during the period of 1999–2014. In doing so, a useful
resource for further complementary investigations is presented.
Furthermore, this review may pave the way for the research and
development of several available and affordable antimalarial
phytomedicines.
Materials and methods
In
order to get information on the different studies, a Google Scholar and
PubMed literature search was performed using keywords (malaria,
Congolese, medicinal plants, antiplasmodial/antimalarial activity, and
toxicity). Data from non-indexed journals, Master and Doctoral
dissertations were also collected.
Results
Approximately
120 extracts and fractions obtained from Congolese medicinal plants
showed pronounced or good antiplasmodial activity. A number of compounds
with interesting antiplasmodial properties were also isolated and
identified. Some of these compounds constituted new scaffolds for the
synthesis of promising antimalarial drugs. Interestingly, most of these
extracts and compounds possessed high selective activity against Plasmodium
parasites compared to mammalian cells. The efficacy and safety of
several plant-derived products was confirmed in mice, and a good
correlation was observed between in vitro and in vivo
antimalarial activity. The formulation of several plant-derived products
also led to some clinical trials and license of three plant-derived
drugs (Manalaria®, Nsansiphos®, and Quinine Pharmakina®).
Conclusion
The
obtained results partly justify and support the use of various
medicinal plants to treat malaria in folk medicine in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Antimalarial plants used in Congolese traditional
medicine represent an important source for the discovery and development
of new antimalarial agents. However, in order to ensure the integration
of a larger number of plant-derived products in the Congolese
healthcare system, some parameters and trends should be considered in
further researches, in agreement with the objectives of the “Traditional
Medicine Strategy” proposed by the World Health Organization in 2013.
These include evaluation of geographical and seasonal variation,
investigation of reproductive biology, assessment of prophylactic
antimalarial activity, evaluation of natural products as adjuvant
antioxidant therapy for malaria, development of plant-based combination
therapies and monitoring of herbal medicines in pharmacovigilance
systems.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Malaria;
- DR Congo;
- Traditional medicine;
- Antimalarial plants;
- Antimalarial activity;
- Toxicity
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+243 819957883, +243 899104080.
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
