Parahancornia fasciculata (Poir.) Benoist (Apocynaceae), also known as Parahancornia amapa (Hub.) Ducke is a species used in the treatment of malaria, uterus infections, gastritis, anemia, respiratory problems, among other ailments. The objectives of this study were to carry out the phytochemical study of the trunk bark from P. fasciculata, to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity as well as the acute oral toxicity of extracts and fractions from this plant species. The powder bark of P. fasciculata was submitted to extractions by maceration/percolation with ethanol 96% and with dichloromethane after alkalinization of the bark powder affording the dry extracts EEPF and EDAPF, respectively. EEPF underwent two different re-extractions: 1) acid-base extractions affording the neutral (EEPFN) and alkaloidal fractions (EEPFA) and 2) heating under reflux with different solvents,
leading to the fractions EEPF-DCM:HEX (1:1), EEPF-DCM: AcOEt (1:1) and EEPFinsoluble in AcOEt. Phytochemical screening of EEPF by TLC revealed the presence of triterpenes and steroids, flavonoid heterosides, saponins, polyphenols, tannins, anthracene heterosides and cardiotonic heterosides. EDAPF was submitted to chromatography through a silica gel column to give 30 fractions of which Fr1-3, Fr4, Fr5-7 and Fr11 represented most of the extract that was chromatographed. Fr5-7 led to the isolation of a mixture of esters of lupeol which are the major components of this extract. Saponification of this fraction afforded Fr5-7Hid that was analyzed by IV, 1H and 13CNMR and was identified as the triterpene lupeol. The insoluble AcOEt fraction derived from re-extraction of EEPF gave a positive test for proanthocyanidins which were quantitatively determined and the results were expressed in percentage for the content of these metabolites in an undiluted sample (10,46 ± 0,3419 %), a 1:10 diluted sample (9,94 ± 0,1598 %) and a 1:100 diluted sample (10,55 ± 0,9299%). The evaluation of the antiplasmodial activity in vitro was carried out against W2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum by the assay of the Histidine-Rich Protein II (HRPII) with EEPF, EEPFN, EEPFA, Fr1-3, Fr4, Fr5-7 (lupeol esters), Fr11 and Fr5-7Hid (lupeol). The best result was obtained for EEPF, EEPFA, EEPFN (CI50 = ~ 50 μg / mL) that can be considered as moderately active. The remaining samples showed CI50 > 50 μg / mL and were considered inactive. The in vivo antimalarial activity was performed in Swiss female mice infected with ANKA strains of Plasmodium berghei with EEPF and EEPF-DCM:HEX (1:1) at concentrations of 500, 250 and 125mg/kg body weight. EEPF was partially active only on the 8th day in all concentrations tested while EEPF-DCM:HEX (1:1) was partially active at a dosis of 500mg/kg and was inactive in the remaining doses. The acute oral toxicity test was determined for EEPF in Swiss female mice by the method of the fixed dose (5,000mg/kg) when no apparent signs of toxicity were observed what was confirmed by the absence of
anatomic and histopathologic changes.
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