UHPLC/MS Profile and Antimalarial Potency of Enantia chlorantha Oliv. (Annonaceae) Stem Bark Aqueous Extract

Abstract

The escalating challenge of malaria management, primarily driven by antimalarial drug resistance, necessitates the urgent exploration of novel therapeutic agents. This investigation focused on characterizing the therapeutic efficacy of an aqueous stem bark extract derived from Enantia chlorantha Oliv (Annonaceae) against the parasitic burden of Plasmodium berghei in a rodent model. Comprehensive assessment revealed noteworthy in vitro antiplasmodial efficacy against both the PfDd2 and Pf3D7 strains of P. falciparum, evidenced by median inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 1.002 and 19.040 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the extract demonstrated a statistically significant, dose–responsive suppression of parasitemia in the in vivo model (p < 0.001), achieving suppression rates between 79.00% and 96.91%. Critically, the administration of the extract mitigated malaria-associated pathophysiology, including the prevention of cachexia, anemia, and elevated leukocyte counts. It concurrently facilitated the functional recovery of hepatic and renal biomarkers (e.g., transaminases, bilirubin, and creatinine), reversed indicators of cellular oxidative stress, and potentially lessened multiorgan structural damage. Collectively, these preclinical findings robustly support the substantial antimalarial capacity of E. chlorantha stem bark extract, providing scientific validation for its ethnobotanical application. Future pharmacological research is now imperative to isolate and chemically identify the specific phytochemical constituents responsible for these observed bioactivities.