Preparative HPLC fractionation of Cinnamomum cassia water extract and their in-vitro antimalarial activities

Abstract

Due to the development of antimalarial resistance strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the search for new antimalarial drugs is immediately needed. Such drugs might work by obstructing the heme detoxification pathway in the malaria parasite, a vital requirement for parasite existence in host erythrocytes. The present study is aimed to investigate the antimalarial activity of four preparative HPLC fractions from Cinnamomum cassia water extract using semi-quantitative in vitro micro-assay that is based on the inhibition of ferriprotoporphyrin IX (FP) biomineralization. A reversed phase C18 inch preparative column and water-acetonitrile binary solvent mixture mobile phase were used to collect the fractions at 275 nm. UHPLC-MS revealed that the major compounds in water crude Cinnamomum cassia extract are coumarin and cinnamic acid. Containing coumarin as a major compound, fraction 2 showed superior efficacy compared to chloroquine and 2-mercaptopyrimidine positive controls. Fraction 3 which contains cinnamic acid showed moderate activity, while fraction 4 was the least potent.