In Vitro Antiplasmodial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Active Subfractions of Harmsiopanax aculeatus Leaves

Harmsiopanax aculeatus leaves, a medicinal plant with locally named
kapur, have been used traditionally to treat malaria in Maluku, Indonesia.
However, the scientific information of this plant is still limited. In our
previous study, the methanol extract of this plant leaves have been proven
to possess in vitro antiplasmodial activity. This study was conducted to
evaluate in vitro antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity of subfractions of
the plant leaves. Fractionation was performed using a column
chromatography with Sephadex LH-20 as the stationary phase and
methanol as the mobile phase. The subfractions obtained were then tested
for in vitro antiplasmodial activity on a chloroquine-resistant FCR3 strain of
Plasmodium falciparum using a visual method. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by
using MTT assay. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity were
expressed as IC50, calculated using probit analysis with SPSS 16 for windows.
The results showed that the four subfractions tested have a high
antiplasmodial activity with IC50 values of 0.09; 0.18; 0.01; and 0.77 μg.mL-1,
respectively. In addition, these subfractions had IC50 values of >400 μg.mL-1
against Vero cells indicating that they were non-toxic. In conclusion, the
subfractions of H. aculeatus leaves are very active and selective against P.
falciparum. Further study will be conducted to isolate the active compounds.
Keywords: H. aculeatus, antiplasmodial activity, cytotoxicity, malaria,
subfractions