In vitro antiplasmodial activity of spiro benzofuran compound from mangrove plant of Southern India

OBJECTIVE: To find out the in vitro antiplasmodial activities of mangrove leaf extracts. METHODS: In vitro antiplasmodial assay was carried out with 13 different mangrove plants. Column chromatography was performed with the most potent Agecerious corniculatum (A. corniculatum) by using various solvent extractions. GC-MS was also preformed with the most potent ethanolic fraction of the A. corniculatum extract. RESULTS: Of the 13 mangroves plants, A. corniculatum showed maximum percentage of parasitemia suppression (94.98 ± 1.16)%. Column chromatography was performed with A. corniculatum with different solvents and the methanolic extract showed maximum percentage (99.73±1.63)% of parasitemia inhibition at 150 μg/mL concentration with the IC(50) value of (29.28±3.23) μg/mL concentration. The results of the GC-MS analysis observed that, the most potent methanolic extract showed maximum retention time (30.687 RT) and the chemical class was identified as Spiro [benzofuran-2(3 H), 1'(3 cyclohexane)-2',3-dione, 7-chloro-4',6] which was responsible for the antiplasmodial activity. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded from the present study that, the chemical constituents of A. corniculatum collected from Pichavaram mangrove forest can be used as a putative antiplasmodial drugs in future.