Antimalarial Activity of Crude Bark Extract of Pterocarpus indicus Willd. against Plasmodium falciparum Strain 3D7

Abstract

Malaria is a global concern, particularly in tropical regions. Numerous studies have been conducted on plants with antimalarial potential. This study aimed to establish the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of Pterocarpus indicus Willd. bark extract against Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7. The extract was prepared by macerating the stem bark in three solvents (ethanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane). The antimalarial tests were performed using infected human erythrocytes. The Trager and Jensen method was used to culture P. falciparum parasites in vitro. A thin blood smear was prepared using 20% Giemsa dye to study parasite proliferation. Antimalarial activity tests were conducted on parasite cultures with 5% hematocrit and 1% parasitemia. The results revealed that the IC50 values of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and 96% ethanol extracts were 7.14, 4.0, and 0.65 g/mL, respectively, indicating strong antimalarial activity. Alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, and terpenoids are a few of the active chemical substances discovered in P. indicus Willd. Bark extract in this study. These findings suggest that the bark extract exhibits antimalarial properties even in the crude form. Thus, compounds isolated from P. indicus appear to be of particular importance for antimalarial research.