Exploring the antiplasmodal efficacy of erucic acid and its derivative isolated from Thlaspi arvense D. C. (Brassicaceae)

Abstract Traditional medicinal plants are cardinal sources of new drug molecules for malaria treatment. The present study evaluates the antiplasmodial potential of erucic acid (EA) isolated from ethanolic whole plant extract of Thlaspi arvense (EWETA) and its synthetic methyl ester derivative (EA-OMe) and also confirms the in vivo efficacy of the crude extract. EA and EA-OMe exhibited considerable in vitro activity against chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive (IC50 5.80 μg/ml and 6.25 μg/ml) and CQ-resistant (IC50 6.07 µg/ml and 8.58 µg/ml) strains of P. falciparum, respectively. Both compounds were non-toxic to HeLa cells and normal dermal fibroblasts with high selectivity index. However, EA and EA-OMe exhibited moderate suppressive activity in vivo. Further, EWETA illustrated ED50