Previous results indicated that the methanol extract of Gardenia thunbergia has antiplasmodial activity but no compounds have ever been isolated from the plant. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the phytochemical and antiplasmodial properties of the plant. The methanol leaf extract of G. thunbergia inhibited Plasmodium falciparum at 50 µg/mL (> 80% inhibition) and was not cytotoxic against HeLa cells. Chromatographic purification of the extract afforded a new saponin and eight other known compounds. The saponin and two flavonoid glycosides displayed non-selective antiplasmodial activity at 50 µg/mL but the activities were diminished at 10 µg/mL. The presence of the isolated compounds in the leaf extract of G. thunbergia could account for the folkloric use of the plant in treating malaria.
Keywords: Gardenia thunbergia; HeLa human cervical cancer cells; Malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; Rubiaceae; antiplasmodial.