Screening of plant extracts for antiprotozoal and cytotoxic activities.

Abstract Methanolic and aqueous extracts derived from 43 plant species, selected either from ethnobotanical or chemotaxonomical data, were screened for their antiprotozoal activity against Leishmania donovani and Trypanosoma brucei brucei . The cytotoxic activity against KB cells was also determined. Eight extracts had IC 50 values of less than 10 μg/ml against Leishmania donovani . The most active was Triclisia patens with an IC 50 value of 1.5 μg/ml against Leishmania donovani . Annona purpurea and Alstonia macrophylla had IC 50 values below 10 μg/ml against Trypanosoma brucei brucei . Annona purpurea was the most cytotoxic against KB cells.