In vitro antiplasmodial activity of extract and constituents from Esenbeckia febrifuga, a plant traditionally used to treat malaria in the Brazilian Amazon

Dolabela, Maria Fâni; Oliveira, Salma G.; Nascimento, José Maria; Peres, José Maria; Wagner, Hildebert; Póvoa, Marinete Marins; de Oliveira, Alaíde Braga

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2008.02.001

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Volume 15, Issue 5 , Pages 367-372, 15 May 2008

In vitro antiplasmodial activity of extract and constituents from Esenbeckia febrifuga, a plant traditionally used to treat malaria in the Brazilian Amazon

Maria Fâni Dolabela
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Salma G. Oliveira
- Laboratório de Malária, Instituto Evandro Chagas, BR 316, Km 7, Ananindeua, CEP 67030-070, PA, Brazil
José Maria Nascimento
- Laboratório de Malária, Instituto Evandro Chagas, BR 316, Km 7, Ananindeua, CEP 67030-070, PA, Brazil
José Maria Peres
- Laboratório de Malária, Instituto Evandro Chagas, BR 316, Km 7, Ananindeua, CEP 67030-070, PA, Brazil
Hildebert Wagner
- Fakultät für Chemie und Pharmazie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department Pharmazie, Zentrum für Pharmaforschung, Butenandtstraße 5, D-81377 München-Grosshadern, Germany
Marinete Marins Póvoa
- Laboratório de Malária, Instituto Evandro Chagas, BR 316, Km 7, Ananindeua, CEP 67030-070, PA, Brazil
Alaíde Braga de Oliveira
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +553134096972; fax: +553134096935.

Abstract

Esenbeckia febrifuga (Rutaceae) is a plant traditionally used to treat malaria in the Brazilian Amazon region. Ethanol extract of stems displayed a good antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum strains W-2 (IC₅₀ 15.5±0.71μg/ml) and 3 D7 (IC₅₀ 21.0±1.4μg/ml). Two coumarins (bergaptene 1 and isopimpinellin 2), five alkaloids (flindersiamine 3, kokusaginine 4, skimmiamine 5, γ-fagarine 6 and 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-N-methylacridone, 7), besides a limonoid (rutaevine 8), have been isolated for the first time from this species. Antiplasmodial activity of compounds 3, 5–8 has been evaluated in vitro against P. falciparum strains (W-2 and 3D7) and the furoquinolines 5 and 6 were the most potent displaying IC₅₀ values <50μg/ml; flindersiamine (3) showed a weak activity while alkaloid 7 and rutaevine (8) were inactive (IC₅₀>100μg/ml).