MALARIA AND ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS: A REVIEW

Natural compounds have already contributed to the discovery of new anti-malarial drugs. Atovaquone, artemisinin and its semi-synthetic derivatives as well as clindamycin, erythromycin, azithromycin, chlortetracycline, tetracycline, oxytetracycline and doxycycline, are noteworthy examples of the varied contribution of natural products for the development of effective anti-malarial drugs, particularly valuable for the treatment of chloroquine-resistant parasites. To avoid side effects and the resistance developed by the synthetic drug natural drug preffered. However, in many cases good activity and selectivity were observed. Most importantly, several compounds containing unique structural composition have been isolated and characterized. In the present review, a number of potential anti-malarial plants explored have been brought out, and a number of leads suggested on the basis of their anti-malarial activities. Thus, it provides guidance for areas of further research on potential plant resources that could be sources of compounds with therapeutic properties for the treatment of malaria. Some of the plants were investigated for anti-malarial activities, and their efficacy, toxicity, and safety aspects still need to be studied.