Plants from Annonaceae family as antimalarials: An ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry review to identify potential lead molecules

Abstract

Malaria is a life-threatening infectious disease, which affected more than 247 million people worldwide in 2021, causing close to 619,000 deaths. WHO recommends region-specific combination therapies based on the susceptibility of the parasite as the standard treatment for P. falciparum malaria. In recent years, the primary cause of concern is the upsurge of resistance against almost all clinically used antimalarial drugs. Herbal medicines have been reported to be therapeutically effective and have played an important role in the treatment of malaria since time immemorial. The discovery of quinine from the cinchona tree's bark and artemisinin from Artemisia annua L. are the leading examples of bioactive compounds used in modern medicine identified from plant-based traditional medicines. Several plants from the Annonaceae family are used traditionally as antimalarials in different parts of the world endemic to malaria.