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Title: Evaluation of the Antimalarial and Antileishmanial Activity of Plants from the Greek Island of Crete

Author
item FOKIALAKIS, NIKOLAOS - UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS
item KALPOUTZAKIS, E. - UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS
item TEKWANI, B. - UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
item KHAN, IKHLAS - UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
item KOBAISY, MOZAINA - UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
item SKALTSOUNIS, A. - UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS
item Duke, Stephen

Submitted to: Journal of Natural Medicine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/19/2006
Publication Date: 1/19/2007
Citation: Fokialakis, N., Kalpoutzakis, E., Tekwani, B.L., Khan, I.S., Kobaisy, M., Skaltsounis, A.L., Duke, S.O. 2007. Evaluation of the Antimalarial and Antileishmanial Activity of Plants from the Greek Island of Crete. Journal of Natural Medicine. 61:38-45.

Interpretive Summary: Different parts of 65 plant species from the Greek island Crete were extracted, and 249 extracts were investigated for their activity against the microbes that cause two tropical diseases, malarial and leishmania. Extracts of the species Berberis cretica, Cytinus hypocystis subsp. hypocystis, and C. hypocystis subsp. orientalis had significant activity against the malaria microbe. Extracts of Eryngium ternatum, Origanum dictamnus, Origanum microphyllum, were active against Leishmania donovani, the microbe that causes leishmania. The active components of these active extracts will be determined in future research.

Technical Abstract: Different parts of 65 plant species from the Greek island Crete were extracted and 249 extracts were investigated for their in vitro antiprotozoal activity. Their activity was determined against chloroquine sensitive (D6) and resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum, and Leishmania donovani promastigotes. In addition, their cytotoxicity was tested on a mammalian kidney fibroblast (VERO) cell line. The dichloromethane and methanolic extracts of Berberis cretica, as well as the methanolic extracts of Cytinus hypocystis subsp. hypocystis and C. hypocystis subsp. orientalis had significant activity against both strains of P. falciparum (IC50<10 ug/ml). The dichloromethane extract of Eryngium ternatum, Origanum dictamnus, Origanum microphyllum, showed significant activity against Leishmania donovani (IC50<10 ug/ml), while none of the extracts showed cytotoxicity.