Antimalarial use of volatile oil from leaves of Virola surinamensis (Rol.) Warb. by Waiãpi Amazon Indians

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 1999-11, Vol.67 (3), p.313-319
• Main Authors: Lopes, Norberto P, Kato, Massuo J, de A. Andrade, Eloı́sa H, Maia, José G.S, Yoshida, Massayoshi, Planchart, Annie R, Katzin, Alejandro M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; American Indians; antimalarial properties; Antimalarials - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Cognitive problems, arts and sciences, folk traditions, folklore; developmental stages; Essential oil; essential oils; ethnobotany; Ethnology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; General pharmacology; Humans; Indians, South American; leaf age; leaves; Malaria; Malaria - drug therapy; Medical practices; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; Myristicaceae; Oils, Volatile - therapeutic use; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant Oils - therapeutic use; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; Plasmodium falciparum; Traditional sciences and medicine; Virola surinamensis; Waiãpi Indians
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(99)00072-0

The Amazon Indians Waiãpi living in the West of Amapá State of Brazil, treat malaria with an inhalation of vapor obtained from leaves of Viola surinamensis. The essential oil obtained from adult and plantlet leaves was analyzed by GC/MS and 11 monoterpenes, 11 sesquiterpenes and three phenylpropanoids were identified. Plantlet essential oil caused 100% of growth inhibition after 48 h in the development of the young trophozoite to schizont stage and the sesquiterpene nerolidol (100 μg/ml) was identified as one of the active constituents (100% of growth inhibition was obtained). In addition, examination of [U 14C]-glucose incorporation showed that activity of nerolidol is related to the inhibition of glycoprotein biosynthesis.