Bioprospecting the Ghanaian flora as a potential source of anti- schistosomal agents

Schistosomiasis affects more than 200 million people globally, with about 90% of cases reported from sub- Saharan Africa. Interventions to eradicate schistosomiasis from developing countries like Ghana have been impeded by inequity of access to preventive chemotherapy and emergence of drug-resistant Schistosoma parasites. There is an increasing awareness of the potential of natural products as chemotherapeutic agents to combat parasitic infections. This study focused on documenting medicinal plants used for schistosomiasis treatment in an endemic area in Ghana, and evaluating their cercaricidal activity. Through semi-structured interview questionnaires, thirty plants distributed in 19 families, were reported to be used for schistosomiasis treatment by herbalists in Atwima-Nwabiagya district, Ghana. The families Apocynaceae and Euphorbiaceae recorded the highest number of plants (14% each), followed by Asteraceae (10%), Loranthaceae (7%) and Rubiaceae (7%). Nine plants were screened against the human Schistosoma mansoni parasite. All plants tested demonstrated time and concentration dependent cercaricidal activity. With lethality set at<1000 µg/mL, for a duration of 240 min, the cercaricidal activity in order of decreasing potency was as follows: W. somnifera (LC₅₀=1.29)>B. aegyptiaca (LC₅₀=7.1)>X. evansii (LC₅₀=1.14)>J. multifida (LC₅₀=12.9)>J. flava (LC₅₀=22.9)>A. klaineana (LC₅₀=182.81)>X. americana (LC₅₀=194.98)>L. lecardii (LC₅₀=223.87)>B. tenufolia (LC₅₀=309.03)>Z. zanthoxyloides (LC₅₀=851.94). The results of this study prove that the rich botanical knowledge on medicinal plants could provide an incredible starting point for the discovery of new anti-schistosomal drugs.

 

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023