By Gyimah Lord
Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic parasitic disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. It’s one of the most devastating tropical diseases being a major source of morbidity and mortality for developing countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia.
The disease is usually caused by S. heamatobium, S.mansoni, S. Japonicum, and less prevalent species include S.mekongi and S. intercalatum . Specific types of freshwater snails are the intermediate host of the Schistosoma parasite.
Previous studies have demonstrated considerable evidence on the anti-schistosomal activity of natural product
(Armah et al., 2020)
The Ghanaian flora provide a ready source of new therapeutic intervention for local population.
Considering the complex lifecycle of the Schistosoma parasite which involves two host
A recent study; “ethnopharmacological evaluation of schistosomicidal and cercaricidal activities of Azadiracta indica” demonstrated higher cercaricidal and adulticidal activities in vitro. ( Acheampong et al. 2020 ) hence provide baseline information that can be used to develop plant-based alternative commercial drugs against Schistosoma mansoni.
1.Schistosomiasis, Fact sheet No 115; February 2010. World Health Organization. Available at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs115/en/.
2.Amponsah IK, Armah FA, Alake J, et al. In-vitro Anti-cercariae activity of extracts and steroidal alkaloids from the stem bark of Holarrhena floribunda ( G . Don ) Dur . & Schinz. Published online 2020. doi:10.5138/09750185.2415
3.Armah FA, Annan K, Mensah AY, Amponsah IK, Tocher DA, Habtemariam S. Erythroivorensin: A novel antiinflammatory diterpene from the root-bark of Erythrophleum ivorense (A Chev.). Fitoterapia. 2015;105: 37-42.
4.Acheampong DO, Owusu-adzorah N, Armah FA, et al. Ethnopharmacological evaluation of schistosomicidal and cercaricidal activities of some selected medicinal plants from Ghana. Published online 2020
5.mansoni and Biomphalaria glabrata from St Lucia, West Indies. Ann Trop Med PH. 1970;64(3):357–63.
6.Saleh M, Glombitza K. Volatile oil of Marrubium vulgare and its antischistosomal activity. Planta Medica. 1989;55(01):105.
The writer is a research scientist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
at the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy And Pharmaceutical Sciences
