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The ethanol extracts of fresh apical stems ofPhyllanthus niruriL.(Euphorbiaceae)cultured on Murashige and Skoog(MS)medium supplemented with IBA/BAP/Coco nuciferaL. milk for 1, 2, 4, and 6 months were phytochemically and biologically investigated and compared to the intact plant part and whole plant extracts. A phytochemical screening revealed the presence of steroids, terpenes, and flavonoids as the major phytochemical groups, but not the same constituents belonging to these groups in all extracts. Alkaloids were detected in whole plant extract and were in traces in the intact apical stem extract and callus extracts. Results from thein vitroantiplasmodial testing indicated that the callus extract 1&ThickSpace;month old(IC 50 &ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;16.3±2.5&ThickSpace;µg/ml)exhibited activity similar to the intact plant part extract(IC 50 &ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;18.2±2.5&ThickSpace;µg/ml)(p&ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;0.05). This activity was significantly higher(p&ThickSpace;<&THICKSPACE;0.001) than that exhibited by extracts from callus cultures 2, 4, and 6 months old(25&ThickSpace;<&ThickSpace;IC 50 &ThickSpace;<&ThickSpace;40&ThickSpace;µg/ml). The activity of these extracts is lower than that displayed by the same extract from the whole plant(IC 50 &ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;2.5±0.2&ThickSpace;µg/ml). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ethanolic extracts from fresh apical stems of Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with IBA/BAP/Coco nucifera L. milk for 1, 2, 4 and 6 months were phytochemically and biologically investigated and compared with intact plant part and whole plant extracts. Results from the in vitro antiplasmodial testing indicated that the EtOH extract of a 1-month-old callus culture (IC50 = 16.3 ± 2.5μg/ml) exhibited a higher activity than the ethanolic extracts of the fresh apical stem (IC50 = 18.2 ± 2.4μg/ml) and callus cultures of 2-, 4- and 6-months-old (25μg/ml &#60; IC50 &#60; 40μg/ml). These activities were however lower than that displayed by the ethanolic extract of the whole plant (IC50 &#60; 3μg/ml). The EtOH extract of 1-month-old callus culture (the most active) was fractionated with solvents of different polarities. Its CH2Cl2 fraction rich in terpenic constituents (IC50 = 9.2 ± 3.4μg/ml) exhibited a higher antiplasmodial activity than its isoamylic alcohol fraction obtained at pH 2–3 (IC50 = 25.6 ± 2.3μg/ml) rich in flavonoids. The activity of these two fractions was lower than that displayed by the same fractions from the whole plant (2μg/ml &#60; IC50 &#60; 3μg/ml). Alkaloidic fractions from the whole plant and 1-month-old callus culture of fresh apical stem were considered as inactive (IC50 > 100μg/ml). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]