Plasmodium Active Compounds from Endophytic Fungi

Abstract

Malaria is a parasitic disease that involves high fevers, shaking chills, flu-like symptoms, and anemia. It is caused by a parasite Plasmodium falciparum that is passed from one human to another by the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Pregnant women, patients with HIV/AIDS, non-immune travelers, and in high transmission areas children under five years of age are in high risk of contracting malaria. One of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is eradicating malaria in Africa. Thus, a well-researched and documented work that may give rise to a new lead compound that can combat malaria effectively and at affordable rate is urgently desirable. Methanolic extract of the freeze-dried endophytic fungi coded MSX – 285138 from mangrove, subjected to a bioassay-guided fractionation yielded fractions that significantly inhibited the replication of malaria parasite. Some of these fractions demonstrated low cytotoxicity. The active fractions were purified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and were further examined and characterized by spectrometric techniques. Two cytochalasin derivatives, cytochalasin D and epoxycytochalasin D were identified from the active isolates which were found to inhibit Plasmodium falciparum (3d7) with IC50 of 10.58 and 2 9.77 nM respectively. However these compounds cannot yet be developed as antimalarial drug because they are also found to be cytostatic. They could also be useful in the management of cancer related ailments.