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• Al-Adhroey, A
• Nor, Z
• Al-Mekhlafi, H
• Amran, A
• Mahmud, R
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• Al-Adhroey, A
• Nor, Z
• Al-Mekhlafi, H
• Amran, A
• Mahmud, R
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• Al-Adhroey, A
• Nor, Z
• Al-Mekhlafi, H
• Amran, A
• Mahmud, R

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Molecules 2011, 16(1), 107-118; doi:10.3390/molecules16010107

Article

Antimalarial Activity of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Piper betle L.

Abdulelah H. Al-Adhroey ^1,* , Zurainee M. Nor ¹ , Hesham M. Al-Mekhlafi ¹ , Adel A. Amran ²  and Rohela Mahmud ¹

¹ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia ² Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 25 November 2010; in revised form: 18 December 2010 / Accepted: 21 December 2010 / Published: 28 December 2010

Download PDF Full-Text [384 KB, uploaded 28 December 2010 11:52 CET]

Abstract: The need for new compounds active against malaria parasites is made more urgent by the rapid spread of drug-resistance to available antimalarial drugs. The crude methanol extract of Piper betle leaves (50–400 mg/kg) was investigated for its antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei (NK65) during early and established infections. The phytochemical and antioxidant potentials of the crude extract were evaluated to elucidate the possibilities of its antimalarial effects. The safety of the extract was also investigated in ICR mice of both sexes by the acute oral toxicity limit test. The leaf extract demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) schizonticidal activity in all three antimalarial evaluation models. Phytochemical screening showed that the leaf extract contains some vital antiplasmodial chemical constituents. The extract also exhibited a potent ability to scavenge the free radicals. The results of acute toxicity showed that the methanol extract of Piper betle leaves is toxicologically safe by oral administration. The results suggest that the Malaysian folklorical medicinal application of the extract of Piper betle leaf has a pharmacological basis.

Keywords: Piper betle; methanolic extract; antimalarial activity

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