Antimalarial activity of Cinchona-like plants used to treat fever and malaria in Brazil

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 87; no. 2; pp. 253 - 256
• Main Authors: Andrade-Neto, V.F., Brandão, M.G.L., Stehmann, J.R., Oliveira, L.A., Krettli, A.U.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.08.2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antimalarial tests; Antimalarials - isolation & purification; Antimalarials - therapeutic use; bark; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Cinchona; Cinchona - chemistry; Cinchona calisaya; Cinchona pubescens; Ethanol; Ethnopharmacology; fever; Fever - drug therapy; General pharmacology; leaves; malaria; Malaria - drug therapy; Malaria - mortality; Malaria - parasitology; Medical sciences; Mice; mortality; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Bark - chemistry; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant Roots - chemistry; Plasmodium berghei; Plasmodium berghei - drug effects; quinine; Remijia ferruginea; roots; Strychnos; Water; Brazil; South America; America; Ethnopharmacology; Plasmodium berghei; Remijia ferruginea; Cinchona; Antimalarial tests; Antimalarial; Protozoal disease; Bark; Medicinal plant; Alkaloid; Folk medicine; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Rubiaceae; Parasiticid; Phytotherapy; Human; Malaria; Root; Rodentia; Plant leaf; Parasitosis; Biological activity; Fever; Infection; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Animal; Plant origin; Antipyretic; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00141-7

For centuries, malaria was treated with the bark of Cinchona calisaya and Cinchona succirubra plants named “quinas” in Brazil, from which the quinine molecule was isolated. Other plant species known also as “quinas” are used to treat fever and malaria, like Deianira erubescens (roots and leaves), Strychnos pseudoquina (bark), and Remijia ferruginea (bark). Based on this popular knowledge, we evaluated the in vivo antimalarial activity of the ethanol crude extracts of these plant species in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Only Remijia ferruginea showed antimalarial activity, reducing parasitaemia and mortality at the highest dose tested. Its phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids but not quinine. The other two plant species were inactive.