Ethnopharmacological and phytochemical studies of medicinal plants from Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a Melanesian archipelago in the South Pacific with a north-south-length of 1,100km, spanning different climate zones. The resulting biodiversity of these islands made it a unique target for an ethnobotanical survey during which information about 131 traditionally used plants was collected.

Seventeen medicinal plants Acalypha grandis Benth. (leaves), Aidia racemosa (Cav.) D. D. Tirveng. (leaves), Allophylus timorensis (Dc.) Bl. (leaves), Alpinia sp. (rhizomes), Baccaurea stylosa Lour. (bark and leaves), Dracontomelon vitiense Engl. (bark), Dysoxylum arborescens (Bl.) Miq. (leaves), Evodia latifolia D. C. (leaves), Grewia inmac Guillaumin (leaves), Gyrocarpus americanus Jacq. (leaves), Intsia bijuga (Colebr.) O. Ktze. (leaves), Macaranga dioica Muell. Arg. (bark and leaves), Macaranga tanarius (L.) Muell. Arg. (leaves), Macropiper latifolium (stalks), Pipturus argenteus (Forst. f.) Wedd. (bark), Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & Perry (leaves) and Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Poir. (leaves) were collected for a pharmacological and phytochemical screening based on their ethnomedicinal use. Dichloromethane-, ethyl acetate- and methanol-extracts of these plant parts were produced via an ASE (accelerated solvent extraction) and the extracts are currently under pharmacological investigation.

The screening program comprises assays for antifungal, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor potential. Also the MTT cytotoxicity assay is used to screen activity of the extracts against ten human cancer cell lines out of the NCI-60 cell lines panel, which consists of human tumor cell lines representing leukemia, melanoma and cancers of the brain, breast, colon, lung, kidney, ovary and prostate.

Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to the government and the Cultural Centre of Vanuatu for their assistance with the field research and we thank our informants for sharing their knowledge with us.