EXPLORING SOME ANTIMALARIAL PLANTS SOLD IN THE MARKET IN LIBREVILLE GABON

The increasing microorganism resistance to common antimicrobial drugs constitutes a major public health issue worldwide and particularly in Gabon. The objective of this study was to conduct an ethnobotanical survey among merchants of Peyrie market in Libreville (Gabon) to identify plants or a combination of plants used to treat malaria in traditional medicine. Information was collected by interviewing merchants of the market using a structured questionnaire. Plant samples were identified and authenticated at National Herbarium at the Institute of Pharmacopeia and Traditional Medicine in Libreville, Gabon. A literature review of the collected species was done. Twenty-nine (29) plants were identified, and some of them are often used in combination. Decoction, maceration, and herbal teas were the different methods of preparation. Barks, leaves, and fruits were the most plant parts used. Overall, some of these plants have already been investigated for their antimalarial properties, such as Momordica foetida (Cucurbitaceae) and Enantia chlorantha (Annonaceae). The data also highlighted several chemical compounds in the plants which can be responsible for the antiplasmodial activity described, such as kaempferol, berberine, eugenol, and ascarisin. No study assessing the antimalarial effects of 13 plants like A. klaineana, D. benthamianus or M. monandra was found so far. Also, no data regarding the potential antiplasmodial activity of Amphimas ferrugineus, Amphimas klaineanus, Poga oleosa, and Desmodium salicifolium were available, as well as any information about the chemical compounds present in these species. This study has validated the use of some plants in the treatment of malaria in Gabon.