Efforts in malaria treatment are currently directed towards the discovery and development of new antimalarial compounds. In this way two plants
Cochlospermum tinctorium
A. Rich. (Cochlospermaceae) and
Gardenia sokotensis
Hutch (Rubiaceae) traditionally used to treat symptoms of malaria in Burkina Faso were screened for antimalarial activity
in vivo with
Plasmodium berghei
. Dichloromethane extract of
Cochlospermum tinctorium and dichloromethane-methanol (7/3v/v) of
Gardenia sokotensis showed a promising
in vivo antiplasmodial activity with 50% effective dose of 17.59 mg/kg and 115 mg/kg respectively. Water extracts from the two plants showed an interesting antiplasmodial activity of
Cochlospermum tinctorium and a weak activity for
Gardenia sokotensis. Paradoxically chromatographic fractions issued from the active crude extract of
Cochlospermum tinctorium appear less active. The fraction FGs
2 of Gardenia has showed a pronounced activity with 42% inhibition rate at 50 mg /kg. These results reflected in part the previous in vitro studies conducted on the two plants. Phytochemical screening revealed mostly the presence of triterpenes, carotenoids and flavonoids more or less in pure state.
