IN VITRO ANTIPLASMODIAL ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC ROOT EXTRACT OF BOERHAAVIA DIFFUSA ON CHLOROQUINE SENSITIVE PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM

D. I. Adefokun*, E. O. Iwalewa, N. Omisore, F. O. Olorunmola, E.O. Akinkunmi, O. Iwalewa

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the antimalarial effect of B. diffusa root extract on chloroquine sensitive P. falciparum. This was with a view to providing additional scientific information on its use as an antimalarial agent. The crude methanolic root extract of the plant was tested for its in vitro anti-plasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (chloroquine-sensitive strain). In this study, 100 μl culture media were dispensed into a 96-well microtitre plate, leaving the ‘A’ series. Then, 100 μl of the test extract was pipetted into well ‘A’ and double fold serial dilutions were made down to well ‘H’. The last series 12 wells served as control. Twenty five (25) μl of infected red cells was separately added into all the wells in the test plates and mixed by swirling with the tips to ensure homogeneity and incubated at 370C in a candle jar and assessed for parasite growth after 27 h of incubation. The results of the in vitro assay showed that the methanolic extract of B. diffusa possessed weak antimalarial activity against P falciparum with IC50 of 55.35 μg/ml when compared with the standard antimalarial drug chloroquine whose IC50 was 0.5209 μg/ml. The antiplasmodial activity of the roots of the plant supports local claims on its efficacy in the treatment of malaria infection.

Keywords: Boerhaavia diffusa, Plasmodium falciparum, Malaria, Antiplasmodial activity.