Abstract:
Malaria is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium. It is one of the leading causes of human morbidity and mortality in the sub-Sahara countries, Kenya included. The parasite is transmitted by Anopheles sp as a definitive host from one human host to another through bite. Five species of mosquito - borne Plasmodium parasites infect humans include Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium knowlesi, and Plasmodium falciparum. Plant samples were collected from Masumbi village, Siaya CountyKenya. Botanical identification of the plant samples was done in the department of Biological Sciences, Egerton University and their voucher samples deposited in a departmental herbarium. Extraction, concentration, spotting and phytochemical analysis were carried out at the Department of Chemistry, Egerton University-Kenya. Phytochemical tests were done to determine the class of phytochemicals present in the methanolic crude extracts while brine shrimp cytotoxicity assay was carried out to predict the potential toxicity of the methanolic plant extracts. This study evaluated the phytochemicals, antiplasmodial effect, and cytotoxicity from extracts of Carissa edulis root barks, Azadirachta indica leaves, Cassia siamea stem barks and Harrisonia abyssinica root bark. Results of methanolic extracts of four different species of plants were analyzed for their phytochemical composition. Alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids were detected in the extracts. This study established that extracts from the four medicinal plants, had plasmodial effects, however further studies are required to purify the seven identified phytochemicals for possible use in vivo.
