Evaluation of selected Sudanese medicinal plants for their in vitro activity against hemoflagellates, selected bacteria, HIV-1-RT and tyrosine kinase inhibitory, and for cytotoxicity

Ethnobotanical investigations led to the selection of 19 plant species, used traditionally in Sudan against malaria and other similar tropical diseases, for further studies. Pamianthe peruviana (Amaryllidaceae) exhibited significant activity against a chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain (K1) and a chloroquine-sensitive strain (NF54) with IC50 values of 0.6 and 1.1 μg/ml, respectively. Additionally, P. peruviana showed considerable activities against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (IC50 1.5 μg/ml) and T. cruzi (IC50 11.8 μg/ml). The antiplasmodial activity of the different extracts of Salvadora persica (Salvadoraceae) against P. falciparum NF54 strain were found to be 0.6 μg/ml (stems) and 0.7 μg/ml (leaves). Extracts of different parts of Combretum hartmannianum (Combretaceae) possessed significant activity against the chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum strain (NF54) with IC50 values of 0.2 μg/ml (bark), 0.4 μg/ml (stem) and 4.3 μg/ml (leaves). Most interestingly, the extracts of the leaves of C. hartmannianum totally inhibited the enzyme HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT) at a concentration of 66 μg/ml. A comparably strong activity against p56lck tyrosine kinase was also seen for this extract. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.