Antimalarial activity of ethyl acetate and n-hexane fractions of Ashitaba leaves (Angelica keiskei K.)

Malaria is a parasitic disease that is still a serious health problem globally, especially in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Data from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, 261,671 malaria cases were in Indonesia until 2017, 100 of which died. One of the main factors causing the increase in malaria infection is resistance to antimalarial drugs. Resistance to antimalarial drugs can be overcome, one of which is by utilizing plants that have the potential as antimalarials. Several compounds derived from plants have been shown to have antiplasmodium activity, and have the potential to be developed as antimalarials, one of which is chalcone. This study aimed to determine the antimalarial activity of the ethyl acetate and n-hexane fractions of Ashibata leaves as a new alternative for malaria treatment. This study used a true experimental type of research with a posttest-only control group design approach microscopically against the parasite Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7. The ethyl acetate and n-hexane fraction of ashitaba leaves were tested at concentrations of 0.01 μg/ml, 0.1 μg/ml, 1 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml, and 100 μg/ml. The results showed that both fractions had very active inhibitory activity on Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7, with the IC₅₀ values of the ethyl acetate fraction being 4.77 μg/ml and 4.38 μg/ml, respectively.