A review of plant species assessed in vitro for antiamoebic activity or both antiamoebic and antiplasmodial properties.

The resurgence of the protozoal diseases amoebiasis and malaria has been known to occur, from time to time, in endemic and epidemic proportions all over the world. Furthermore, the import of these individual pathogens to other areas from tropical regions encourages these protozoal diseases to occur on a global scale with considerable associated mortality and morbidity. From time immemorial, the cure of these diseases has been attempted with the use of traditional plant products, derived from such species as are available within local habitats and ecosystems, and dependent on their host community for their conservation. Scientific validation and in vitro investigation, continues to be an important requirement for drug development, particularly with the emergence of resistance and cross resistance to some standard drugs used in such protozoal diseases. This paper provides a comparative compilation of the various studies reported between 1982 and 1999, on plants with antiamoebic activities and those which possess both antiamoebic and antiplasmodial activities. The results suggest that it is advisable to increase efforts towards the conservation of such plants, in order to retain their economic and therapeutic significance. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.