Antiplasmodial Activity of a New Chemotype of Hochst. Ex C. Krauss Essential Oil

Overview

Journal Int J Mol Sci

Publisher MDPI

Date 2025 Jan 25

PMID 39859571

Authors

Pierre Leonel K Tafokeu Taguimjeu

Yannick Stephane Fotsing Fongang

Manon Genva

Lahngong Methodius Shinyuy

Jana Held

Michel Frederich

Silvere Augustin Ngouela

Marie-Laure Fauconnier

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

, a tropical African plant, is traditionally used to treat several diseases, including fever, inflammation, and malaria. Essential oils (EOs) from the plant's leaves, roots, and trunk bark were obtained by hydrodistillation, and their chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major constituents identified were virdiflorene (18.13 ± 0.46%) in root EO, (E)-β-caryophyllene (18.40 ± 0.60%) in trunk bark EO, and farnesyl acetone (15.26 ± 0.25%) in leaf EO. Notably, Cameroonian leaf EO exhibited a distinct and newly described chemotype with high levels of farnesyl acetone, β-copaene-4-α-ol, β-cadinene, α-humulene, and -longipinocarveol. In vitro testing revealed significant antiplasmodial activity against asexual (3D7) and sexual (NF-54 strain) stages, with trunk bark EO showing the highest potency (IC: 9.06 ± 2.15 µg/mL for 3D7 and 0.56 µg/mL for gametocytes). These findings support the traditional antimalarial use of and represent the first chemical profile and antiplasmodial efficacy report for its root and trunk bark EOs against both parasite stages. To the best of our knowledge, we also report for the first time the antiplasmodial activity of an EO that exerts significant activity against both the asexual and sexual forms of .

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