Chemical characterization and study of the anti- plasmodial activity of the herbal tea « palustop » from medicinal plants of Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

This study is a contribution to the valorization of medicinal plants from Ivorian flora and the traditional medicines derived from them. The objective is to determine the chemical composition and study the anti- plasmodial activity of the herbal tea "palustop" which is used in Côte d'Ivoire to treat malaria. To achieve this, we made two extracts, aqueous and hydro-ethanolic at 70%. Colorimetric tests of the aqueous extract were performed to determine the major chemical families present in « palustop ». Then the aqueous and hydro-ethanolic extracts were tested against twelve clinical isolates of Plasmodium falciparum. Finally, a microbiological quality analysis of the aqueous extract of « palustop » has been conducted. The chemical analysis of the aqueous extract revealed the presence of quinones and saponosides, as well as a significant presence of alkaloids, sterols, and polyterpenes. The aqueous and hydro-ethanolic extracts of « palustop » were effective against 9 and 8 of the tested isolates, respectively. Specifically, the inhibitory concentrations of 50% of the aqueous extract range from 0.16 µg/mL to 39.48 µg/mL. And those from the hydroalcoholic extract range between 4.17 µg/mL and 92.10 µg/mL. The aqueous extract has a better anti-plasmodial activity with an average inhibitory concentration of 50%, IC50 = 11.54 μg/mL, while that of the hydroethanolic extract is 16.37 μg/mL. The microbiological analysis revealed that there are no colonies of germs in the tested sample. This good anti-plasmodial activity and the absence of germ colonies would be justified among other things by the secondary metabolites present in the extract. The herbal tea "palustop" could be an excellent alternative in the fight against malaria in Côte d'Ivoire. Following this study, a labeled packaging has been proposed for « palustop ».