Non-nitrogenous Plant-derived Constituents with Antiplasmodial Activity

Abstract

The paper is a compilation of the studies reported in the literature concerning non-nitrogenous natural constituents that have shown antiplasmodial activity and aims to provide a basis for further in vivo studies as well as for clinical trials to develop new antimalarial agents. Due to the increasingly unsatisfactory outcomes for N-heterocyclic drugs, coupled with the rising incidence of the deadly falciparum malaria, the advent of non-nitrogenous lead compounds is timely, signaling a new era of antimalarial chemotherapy. Currently a few non-nitrogenous molecules are used in therapy, but many promising molecules of plant origin are under study, such as peroxide sesquiterpenes, quinoid triterpenes, quassinoids, gallic acid derivatives, lignans, flavonoids and biflavonoids, xanthones, naphthoquinones and phenylanthraquinones. Many of these constituents are isolated from plants used traditionally to treat malaria and fever. Ethnopharmacology can still be considered as a rich source of lead molecules.