Antiplasmodial activity of flavonoids from Macaranga tanarius leaves

Abstract

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death in the world which is caused by Plasmodium sp. This parasite tends to have mutation and shows resistance towards malaria drug. Due to the emergence and spread of Plasmodium sp. resistance towards malaria drugs, an exploration to find new effective and selective malaria drug is essential. In this study, four flavonoids, namely nymphaeol C (1), solophenol D (2), nymphaeol A (3), and nymphaeol B (4) were isolated from ethyl acetate fraction of Macaranga tanarius leaves. The structures of those compounds were characterized by NMR analysis. Furthermore, antiplasmodial activity of ethyl acetate fraction and four isolated compounds (1-4) were evaluated by Giemsa method against Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7. According to this assay, it showed the IC50 values were 0.30, 0.24, 0.31, 0.05, and 0.05 μg/mL, respectively. The results provide important evidence of the antiplasmodial activity of flavonoids in traditional use. In addition, it can be indicated that Macaranga tanarius is potential to be developed as antiplasmodial agents.