The effect of Artemisia sieberi extracts on the Formation of β-Hematin

The aim of the study is to assess the effect of Palestinian flora Artemisia sieberi extract against the formation of β-hematin in-vitro. β-hematin is a synthetic polymer made of ferriprotoporphyrin-IX and is structurally, chemically and spectroscopically identical to purified hemozoin formed during the intra-erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium life cycle. As strains of the malaria parasite Plasmodium emerged gaining resistance to the known drugs used such as chloroquine, amodaquine, artemisinin, the search for new anti-malarial drugs has become a must. Natural compounds were used throughout time as drugs and the history of anti-malarial drugs is linked with the history of herbal medicinal products. As an attempt to find new anti-malarial drugs, the potential inhibitory effect of Artemisia sieberi plant parts were studied using a semi-quantitative method. Leaves, flowers and stems were collected from various areas around Jerusalem, dried at room temperature and separately ground. Extraction was performed by soaking dried plant parts in 35% ethanol or ultrapure water. Extracts were filtered, rotary evaporated at 50°C and then lyophilized to a constant weight. Results of this study showed the alcoholic stem extract was the strongest in preventing the formation of β-Hematin when compared to that of the leaf or flower extracts. However the need to find the active components of this herbal extract requires further studies.The authors are grateful to the European Commission FP7 Programme for their financial support through DEBPAL2 project. We are grateful to Dr. Ogwang Patrick Engeu for his helpful discussions and insightful comments

Bicarbonate In-Vitro Effect on Beta-Hematin Inhibition by Artemisia sieberi Aqueous Infusion

Malaria is still considered the most threatening disease in Africa. Plasmodium; the malaria parasite, forms during its intra-erythrocytic stage a pigment called hemozoin, which acts as a protection shield against oxygen radical-mediated stress that leads to parasite’s death. Many drugs targeting hemozoin formation such as chloroquine and amodiaquine, but recently strains of Plasmodium have gained resistance to such drugs. Artemisia sieberi stem and leaf water infusion extract compared with A. sieberi bicarbonate aqueous infusion were tested using a semi-quantitative in-vitro method based on the inhibition of ferriprotoporphyrin IX (FP) bio- mineralization developed by Deharo et al. to reveal the differences in antimalarial activity. Reversed phase preparative liquid chromatography coupled to Photo Diode Array (HPLC-PDA) detector was also used to explain this dissimilarity in antimalarial activity. We found that A. sieberi bicarbonate aqueous infusion inhibits the formation of β-hematin better than standard water infusion. The bicarbonate addition increases the extraction of more compounds as the chromatographic HPLC results revealed. Other Artemisia plants (A. vulgaris and A. herba alba) were also tested to explore any inhibition effects

Morin, quercetin, catechin and quercitrin as novel natural antimalarial candidates

Background: The discovery of efficient antimalarial candidates from natural sources has become more urgent as a result of drug resistance emergence. Therefore, discovering effective substitutes to treat malaria remains a top priority to health community. Medicinal plants and some edible foods contain inexhaustible source of new active ingredients that may treat malaria. Objective: The aim of the current study was to explore the in-vitro inhibitory effect of the polyphenolic flavonoids: morin, quercetin, catechin, and quercitrin on the β-hematin formation in order to utilize them as new potential antimalarial leads. Methodology: The methods used were the in-vitro colorimetric semi-quantitative and quantitative assays that are based on β-hematin inhibition and optical density measurement at 405 nm. Results and discussion: The in-vitro inhibitory effect on β-hematin formation using the four flavonoids of morin, quercetin, catechin and quercitrin in comparison to chloroquine and amodiaquine positive controls signifies to their encouraging potential as new antimalarial leads. Morin flavonol however was the most potent compound even at extremely low concentration of 0.04mg/ml. The efficiency of the four flavonols suggesting the formation of a favorable complex with the free heme over β-hematin formation to a level that becomes irreversibly toxic to the plasmodium.None

Cinnamon bark water-infusion as an in-vitro inhibitor of β-hematin formation

Malaria remains one of the prominent public health problems that lead to severe morbidity and mortality in many developing countries around the globe. New antimalarial drugs are urgently needed due to the emergence of antimalarial-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. In previous studies, we tested several plants extracts that are capable of inhibiting β-hematin formation, with efficiency similar to chloroquine. In the current study, the effect of cinnamon ethanol and water extracts on inhibiting β- hematin formation was studied. Powdered cinnamon extracts and bark in a stick form were investigated using various extraction methods. A semi-quantitative in vitro method, based on the inhibition of ferriprotoporphyrin IX (FP) bio-crystallization developed by Deharo et al. (2002) was utilized. Water extracts of cinnamon revealed potential activity even at low concentration of infusions, which was manifested by a high capability to inhibit β-hematin formation in vitro

Pure Isolates and Preparative HPLC Fractions or Crude Extract of Inula viscosa: Effect on β-hematin Inhibition in vitro

The antimalarial activity of wild Inula viscosa (I. viscosa) plant leaves was investigated. The efficacy of the whole crude extract versus preparative HPLC fractions versus pure isolates were compared by measuring their effect on β-hematin inhibition in-vitro. The preparative HPLC experiments consisted of reversed phase preparative column (22.2mm x 250mm, 10μm) and linear gradient of water, acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Injection volume was 1000μl and the wavelengths range were from 200-450 nm using photodiode array detector (PDA). While fractions (IV, V and VI) showed antimalarial potential in comparison to chloroquine positive control, the rest of the fractions did not show any significant inhibition to the β-hematin formation. The antimalarial results showed that whole crude exact of the plant works better than the preparative fractions or the pure isolates presumably due to synergistic effect. The chemical identity of some of the pure isolates was explored using UHPLC-ESi-MS. Moreover, I. viscosa extract powder stayed stable over several years, while many other products such as Artemisia annua extract or Artemisin Combined Therapy (ACT) drugs rapidly lost their efficiency under tropical storage conditions.None

HPLC separation of phenolic phytochemicals from grape peels and seeds water extracts and their in-vitro antimalarial activities

Water extracts of three grape types (black, shami and white) were separated using reversed phase HPLC-PDA and their in-vitro effect on β-hematin inhibition were investigated. The grape crude water extracts of peels and seeds impede the formation of β-hematin in vitro and therefore possess a significant antimalarial effect. Black grape peel extract gave superior activity as revealed by its absorption value in comparison to CQ positive control. In general, black and shami peels water extracts were slightly more active than their corresponding seeds extracts while surprisingly, the white grape peel extract was completely inactive. The same inactivity was noticed when black, shami and white grape juices as well as red and white wines were examined in-vitro. The lack in white grapes of the active phytochemicals that present at high levels in black and shami grapes explains the inactivity of the former. Several secondary plant phenolic metabolites may be responsible for the antimalarial activity and subsequently, one could infer that the antimalarial activity of water extract may be a result of the synergistic effect of its diverse phenolic phytochemicals.None

Characterization of element and mineral content in Artemisia annua and Camellia sinensis leaves by handheld X-ray fluorescence

Tea infusion is the most frequently worldwide consumed beverage next to water, with about 20 billion cups consumed daily. Artemisia annua leaves contain comparable levels of nutrients and mineral elements (dry matter basis) to many marketed tea (Camellia sinensis) leading us to suspect that this crop could also serve as an alternative source of nutrients for humans. Analyzer moveable X-ray fluorescence is used to evaluate the content of major, minor and toxic elements in A. annua from two different countries compared to six marketed tea in Senegal. To ensure qualified results, certified reference materials were used to perform the calibration. The very low and often negligible levels of inherent elements in the leaves, which are far below recommended toxic levels, establishes A. annua and selected marketed tea as a good reservoir of elements that might favour its use as a potential herbal tonic by humans. The mineral elements are present in different kinds of herbal leaves in various proportions depending on soil composition and the climate in which the plant grows.Keywords: X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Artemisia annua, Camellia sinensis, elements, leaves, medicinal plantAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(26), pp. 4179-418

Microbicidal effect of solar radiation (SODIS) combined with Artemisia annua

RESUMEN: En este estudio se evaluó el método SODIS y SODIS combinado con Artemisia annua como una alternativa para la desinfección del agua en comunidades sin acceso a agua segura. Se determinó la eficiencia del método en la remoción de Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis y Salmonella typhimurium usando botellas tipo PET con agua destilada estéril y una concentración inicial de 1x106 UFC/ml de cada microorganismo. Para la combinación SODIS-A. annua se adicionó a las botellas una infusión de A. annua al 10% (v/v); las botellas fueron expuestas al sol durante mínimo 6 horas y se determinaron las variables temperatura del agua, radiación solar y turbidez. Se encontró que el tratamiento SODIS fue más eficiente en la remoción de los cuatro microorganismos que el tratamiento SODIS + A. annua. Las remociones más altas se encontraron a partir de las cuatro horas de exposición para las especies bacterianas en estado vegetativo.ABSTARCT: This study evaluates the SODIS and SODIS method combined with Artemisia annua (SODIS+A. annua) as an alternative for water disinfection in communities without access to potable water. The efficiency of the method in removing E. coli, B. subtilis, E. faecalis and S. typhimurium was determined using PET bottles with sterile distilled water and an initial concentration of 1x106 UFC/ml of each microorganism. For SODIS+A. annua a 10% (v/v) infusion of A. annua was added; the bottles were exposed to sunlight for at least 6 hours and three variables (water temperature, solar radiation and turbidity) were measured. It was found that SODIS treatment was more efficient in the removal of the four microorganisms than SODIS + A. annua. The removals were higher after four hours of exposure to the bacterial species in their vegetative state