Heme Polymerization Inhibition Activity Test Of Anting-anting (Acalypha Australis) Leaf Extract

Abstract

Background: Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasitic infection. World Health Organization (WHO) recommend Artemisinin Combination (ACT) as the first therapy that currently raises new problems which is therapy failure or ACT resistance. Besides using modern medicines, Indonesian people also use natural resources to overcome malaria. One of natural resources is Acalypha australis that assumed contain several compounds to be capable of providing an inhibitory effect on heme polymerization. Objective: To investigate the inhibition of heme polymerization activity from Acalypha australis L. Method: The anting-anting leaves obtained from Paraksari Pakembinangun, Pakem, Sleman, Yogyakarta that already determined then prepared into simplicia dried powder. The n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and 96% ethanol extract of sample obtained using the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method, followed by the identification compounds using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and heme polymerization inhibitory activity carried out in vitro refers to Basilico method. Result: The results of 96% ethanol extract compound identification using TLC method contained flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolics. The hem polymerization inhibitory activity test of n-hexane and 96% ethanol extract has better activity than chloroquine with an IC50 value of 10.80 μg/mL. Conclusion: The 96% ethanol extract of Acalypha australis L. was proven to have heme polymerization inhibitory activity, so it has the potential to be an antimalarial drug development.