Antimalarial Evaluation of Cuminaldehyde, an Aromatic Monoterpenoid, using Cell Free β-hematin Formation Assay

Abstract

Malaria as one of the most recurrent infectious diseases caused by parasites of the genus plasmodium, kills several hundred thousand people especially in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world annually. Terpenoids have served as the lead compounds to develop new antimalarial agents. The aromatic monoterpenoid, cuminaldehyde, isolated from the fruits of Bunium persicum was evaluated for antimalarial activity using cell-free β-hematin formation assay. The purified compound showed no inhibitory performance with respect to β-hematin formation. It is presumably due to structural differences between cuminaldehyde and other known active terpenoids.