Phytochemical, nutritional and anti-nutritional properties of leaves, stems bark and roots of trees used in popular medicine for the treatment of malaria in South Eastern Nigeria

Suppressive, curative, and prophylactic potentials of an antimalarial polyherbal mixture and its individual components in Plasmodium berghei-Infected mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Malaria remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in tropical regions of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where it remains epidemiologically holoendemic. The absence of effective vaccines and Plasmodium resistance to antimalarial drugs have been the major challenges to malaria control measures. An alternative strategy could be the application of validated and standardized herbal formulations.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To evaluate the antimalarial activity of a polyherbal mixture (APM) and compare it to those of its individual constituent plants.

METHODS

APM consisted of stem barks of Mangifera indica (MI), Azadirachta indica (AI), Nauclea latifolia (and roots, NL) and roots of Morinda lucida (ML). Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHP) and pyronaridine-artesunate (PA) served as positive controls. Antimalarial activity was evaluated using suppressive, curative and prophylactic assays in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei.

RESULTS

All the herbal mixtures, individually and in combination, showed significant (p < 0.05) antiplasmodial activities in the various assays. They produced considerable parasite suppression (>50%), substantial clearance (>70%), and notable prophylaxis (>60%, except for NL: 35%). APM (95.4-98.7%) and AI (92%), respectively, elicited greater and comparable suppression relative to DHP (88%) and PA (87.3%). However, all the herbal decoctions, individually (72-93.6%) and in combination (82.5-91%), showed lower parasite clearance than DHP (100%) and PA (99.5%). Meanwhile, APM showed relatively greater suppression and prophylaxis than its constituent plants, suggesting that the combination produced synergistic or additive effects.

CONCLUSION

These findings could substantiate the use of these plants, singly or in combination, as traditional remedies for malaria. Further studies are recommended to evaluate their clinical usefulness.

Indian Morinda species: A review

Morinda is a largest genus of Rubiaceae family, and its 11 species are found in India. In India, plant species are known by several common names as great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry and cheese fruit. Various Morinda products (capsules, tablets, skin products and fruit juices) are available in the market, used by people for treatment of several health complaints. A diversity of phytochemicals including iridoids, flavonoids, flavonoid glycosides, anthraquinones, coumarins, lignanas, noniosides, phenolics and triterpenoids have been reported from Morinda species. Morinda species are used in the treatment of inflammation, cancer, diabetes, psyquiatric disorders, and bacterial and viral infections. The noni fruit juice (Morinda citrifolia) and its products are used clinically in the treatment of cancer, hypertension and cervical spondylosis affecting patients. M. citrifolia fuit juice, with different doses, is used in the maintaining blood pressure and reducing of superoxides, HDL and LDL levels. Similarly, oligosaccharide capsules and tablets of root extract of M. officinalis are recommended as medicine for the treatment of kidney problems and sexual dysfunctions of patients. The toxicological studies revealed that higher doses of fruit juice (4,000 or 5,000 mg/kg) of M. citrifolia for 2 or more months cause toxic effects on liver and kidneys. M. officinalis root extracts (ethanolic and aqueous) are found fully safe during treatment of diseases. A large number of reviews are available on M. citrifolia but very few studies are conducted on other Indian Morinda species. This review reports the comprehensive knowledge on state-wise distribution, botany, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, clinical applications and toxicological evaluations of 11 species of Morinda found in India.