No abstract

BackgroundWith the aim of discovering new natural active extracts against malaria parasites, Icacina senegalensis was selected after an ethnopharmacological survey conducted on plants used in traditional malaria treatment in Senegal.MethodsDifferent concentrations of the plant extract and fractions were tested on synchronized Plasmodium falciparum cultures at the ring stage using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay. Their haemolytic activity and in vitro cytoxicity were evaluated. The chromatographic profiles of active fractions were also established.ResultsThe plant extract and fractions revealed anti-plasmodial activity (IC50 < 5 μg/mL) with no toxicity (Selectivity indexes >10). The dichloromethane fraction showed stronger anti-plasmodial activity than the total extract.ConclusionAnti-plasmodial activity and toxicity of I. senegalensis are reported for the first time and showed promising results in malaria field research.

Development of Callosubruchus maculatus (F.) in cowpea seeds (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) can be prevented by sterilization of the adult forms and destruction of the eggs, larvae and pupae using an ionizing treatment at doses less than 100 Gy, without causing unfavorable nutritional consequences. Storage of these cowpea seeds in polyethylene bags of a thickness greater than 100 μm avoids all recontamination by this weevil. Economically, the irradiation of such a foodstuff would certainly be worthwhile in Senegal on the condition that the ionizing treatment would also be profitable for other foodstuffs harvested locally, so as to attain a satisfactory utilization rate for the industrial plant which would be set up in this country.