GUETCHUENG, S. T., NAHAR, Lutfun, RITCHIE, K. J., ISMAIL, F. M.D., EVANS, A. R., TCHINDA, A. T., TARKANG, A. P., NNANGA, E. N., SARKER, S. D. Haem Polymerization Inhibitory Activity and Cytotoxicity of Six Medicinal Plants Used in Cameroon for the Management of Malaria. Acta Pharmaceutica Sciencia. 2022, 60(3), 235-245. ISSN 1307-2080

Malaria was successfully treated with both natural and synthetic products. However, recent progress in battling malaria has stalled due to drug resistance. Therefore, the search of novel antimalarials capable of reversing or evading resistance is much needed and this could be achieved through ethnomedicinal approaches. Six medicinal plants were screened for their antimalarial activity using the β-hematin inhibition (BHI) assay and their effect on the proliferation of three cancer cell lines (A549, MCF7 and PC3) was assessed by the MTT assay. Amongst the twenty-seven extracts screened, Pseudospondias microcarpa bark showed significant BHI activities with IC50 values of 2.5 ± 0.1 and 4.0 ± 0.2 µg/mL for DCM and MeOH extracts, respectively, while having no cytotoxic effect on A549, MCF7 and PC3. The current results support the ethnopharmacological use of P. microcarpa in the treatment of malaria, and it could constitute a useful source of potent antimalarial compounds.