Bio-Prospecting
The increasing resistance of the malaria vectors to the insecticides used to control them are a grave cause for concern. As part of the Novel Drug Development Platform, the MRP is involved in the screening of indigenous plants for biological activity against the vectors of malaria. Plants were selected based on traditional healer usage and mention in the ethno-botanical literature for the treatment of fevers.
Currently new insecticide formulations with improved storage stability and activity are being produced. These improved formulations will undergo further laboratory testing to determine the most suitable formulation to take forward into field trials. The efficacy of the formulations in small scale field studies will be assessed.
Progress:
- Crude extracts from 381 plants from 79 taxa representing 37 families have been evaluated. The extracts were obtained from different parts of the plants, namely leaves, roots, stems, fruit, flowers, seeds, twigs, rhizomes and the bark. In some instances, the whole plant was used.
- Twenty one extracts have shown great promise against the immature aquatic stages of the mosquito.
- After a stringent selection process, four extracts were chosen to undergo further investigation.
- Two of the prioritized crude extracts had undergone bio-fractionation and have been tested for what?.
- The compounds derived from one prioritized extract have undergone dose response assays and have proven to be highly active.