Evaluation of Anti-malarial Activity of the Aqueous Root Extract of Euclea Divinorum Hiern (Ebenaceae) against Plasmodium Berghei infected Mice
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Date
2020-12
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Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Drug resistance is a universal challenge to malaria control measures. As a result, development and
discovery of new chemotherapeutic agents from medicinal plants having antimalarial traditional
claims is very important. Euclea divinorum H. (Ebenaceae) is shown to have anti-plasmodial
activity in vitro and the root of this plant is used traditionally to treat malaria in different countries,
including Ethiopia. This work therefore attempted to evaluate the antimalarial activity of the root
aqueous extract using rodent model of malaria. To this effect, the roots of Euclea divinorum were
extracted by hot decoction using distilled water. Anti-malarial activity of various doses of the root
aqueous extract was evaluated using the 4-day suppressive test as well as curative and repository
test. The finding showed that there was a dose-related significant parasitemia chemo-suppression
and increment in survival time as compared to the negative control (p<0.001) at 100 mg/kg, 200
mg/kg and 400 mg/kg in all tests. The chemo-suppression effect was higher at 400 mg/kg extract
treated groups in the 4-day suppressive test followed by curative test. The lowest chemoprophylaxis
effect was observed at 100 mg/kg extract treated groups in the repository test.
Considering other parameters, the extract prevented weight loss, temperature drop and hemolysis
in all models but not in a consistent manner. The result of the current finding supports folkloric use
of the plant against malarial infection and confirmed the antimalarial activity of the plant.
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Keywords
Antimalarial activity, Plasmodium berghei, Euclea devinorum, Parasitemia, Mice