Calotropis procera Extract Halts Plasmodium falciparum Transgression Through Red Blood Cell (RBC) Membrane

Aim: To evaluate the potential of Calotropis procera extracts in erythrocyte membrane stabilization with special emphasis on Plasmodium falciparum entry into RBCs.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Zoology, BMT and Human Genetics, University School of Sciences, Gujarat University, Gujarat, India, between December-2014 to December- 2015.

Methodology: In this study, we evaluated the erythrocyte membrane stabilization properties of Calotropis procera leaf extracts. The aqueous and methanolic leaf extracts of Calotropis procera were screened for its phytochemical, antioxidant, erythrocyte membrane stabilization and subsequent antiplasmodial activity. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity was evaluated on Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-sensitive (MRC2) and chloroquine-resistant (RKL9) strains.

Results: In the present study, phytochemical analysis of aqueous extract has shown only the presence of flavonoids, triterpenoids, carbohydrates and phenolic compounds whereas the methanolic extract has shown the presence of all the phyto-components except saponins, oils and fats. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured by (DPPH•) radical scavenging assay. The methanolic extract of Calotropis procera showed more potent antioxidant activity when compared to aqueous extract. We observed an increased inhibition of entry of the parasites in relation to the concentration of both the extracts. Though enhanced stabilization effects were observed at higher concentrations of the methanolic extract, there was a steady membrane stabilizing property with the aqueous extract. The experimental evidence obtained in our study revealed that the methanolic extract of the leaves of C. procera, tends to be more effective in preventing the parasite entry into RBCs.

Conclusion: Our finding confirms the importance of investigating the antimalarial activity of Calotropis procera which is used in traditional medicine. Overall, the methanolic extract of Calotropis procera appeared to be the best candidate and will be further investigated for their erythrocyte membrane stabilization and antiplasmodial properties of the individual isolated compounds, alone and in combinations.