Leaves from the tree poincianella pluviosa as a renewable source of antiplasmodial compounds against chloroquine-resistant plasmodium falciparum

Abstract

Poincianella pluviosa is a tree whose stem bark is reputed to have antidiarrheal, wound healing, antitumoral and antimalarial properties. Considering that the leaves of the tree are a more abundant and renewable source than the stem bark, we chose to study the antimalarial potential of this organ part. The aqueous leaf extract exhibited a rich phenolic profile. It was active (IC50 = 6.88 ± 1.64 µg mL-1) against chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum (W2) without toxicity to HepG2 A16 cells. The organic fraction was more active (IC50 = 1.83 µg mL-1) than the aqueous leaf extract itself. Ten phenolic compounds were obtained from the latter. This is the first report on the phenolic composition of P. pluviosa leaves. Ellagic acid (IC50 = 0.215 ± 0.007 µg mL-1) proved to be 32 fold more active than the aqueous leaf extract itself. Considering their renewable aspect, leaves of P. pluviosa appear to be a more interesting source of antimalarial compounds than stem bark.