Antimalarial activity of leaf extract, fractions and isolation of sterol from alstonia boonei

Abstract

Bioactive compounds in plants have found a wide application in medicines due to their pharmacological or toxicological effects in man and animals. In vitro anti-plasmodial activity of the leaves of Alstonia boonei was studied to support its traditional use as a remedy for malaria. The ethyl acetate extract was subjected to in vitro anti-plasmodial assays. The ethyl acetate extracts and fractions were found to be active against Plasmodium falciparum with percentage elimination range of 16.67 to 47.22%. The fractions were monitored using chromatographic techniques and this led to the isolation of β-Sitosterol, a plant derived sterol. The structure of the isolated compound was elucidated using spectroscopic methods including FTIR and NMR. Β-Sitosterol has been reported to have antimalarial properties giving credence to the traditional uses of this plant for the treatment of malaria.