Ache Roland Ndifor*, Martin M. Noah, Darline Dize, Alex de Théodore Atchade, Fabrice Fekam Boyom,Celine Henoumont, Laurent Sophie
The increase in resistance to the currently available antimalarial drugs is a call for global concern and warrants search for novel therapeutic drugs from either natural, semisynthetic or synthetic sources with improved biological activity. Cameroonian Traditional healers have been using Cola heteropylla for the treatment of malaria in endemic regions. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the phytochemical constituents of leaf extract from Cola heteropylla and screening of their antiplasmodial activity. The methanol leaf extract and its isolates were prepared using standard procedures and their antiplasmodial activity was assessed in vitro against the Pf3D7 and PfDd2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The performed isolation afforded one new antiplasmodial cerebroside Colaheterophylloside A, and the previously described oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and methyl ester of Colic acid. Their structures were designated using spectroscopic means. Among the samples evaluated, the most potent were methyl ester of Colic acid (MeC) and oleanolic acid (Oa) with IC50 of 4.77 ± 0.079 µg/mL (Pf 3D7) and IC50 of 4.78 ± 0.117 µg/mL (Pf 3D7). MeC acid displayed high activity with IC50 of 4.87 ± 0.087 µg/mL (PfDd2), while Oa demonstrated promising activity with IC50 of 5.55 ± 0.048 µg/mL (PfDd2). Ursolic acid (Ua) and ChA showed promising activity with IC50 of 5.06 ± 0.258 µg/mL (Pf 3D7), IC50 of 5.479 ± 0.634 µg/mL (Pf 3D7), IC50 of 5.066 ± 0.089 µg/mL (Pf Dd2) and IC50 of 13.79 ± 6.958 µg/mL (Pf Dd2). The ME exhibited moderate activity with IC50 of 29.855 ± 5.282 µg/mL (Pf3D7) and IC50 of 17.12 ± 0.169 µg/mL (PfDd2). The extract and constituents of Cola heteropylla have antiplasmodial properties and validates its ethnomedicinal use for malaria treatment.