Evaluation of AntimalarialActivity of OtostegiaintegrefoliaLeaf Extracts againstPlasmodium berghei in Mice
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Date
2012-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Malaria remains one of the most deadly parasitic diseases in the tropics and subtropics. It is the
cause of death of more than 650,000 people every year with the majority affected groups are
children under the age of five and pregnant women. The spread of drug resistant malaria parasite
is the major challenge in the control of the disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop
new and efficient antimalarial drugs that are easily be accessible and affordable by those poor
living in the malarious regions. In the attempt to search for new antimalarial drugs, the present
study aimed to discover an effective plant based extracts from the leaf of Otostegia integrefolia
against chloroquine (CQ) sensitive strain of Plasmodium bergheiin vivo in Swiss albino mice.
The standard 4-day suppressive test was employed to determine percent parasitaemia inhibition
caused by extracts of the plant material. Extracts were administered at doses of 200, 400 and 800
mg/kg body weight (b.wt) of mice. Aqueous, methanol and chloroform crude extracts of the leaf
of O. integrefolia suppressedP. berghei parasitaemia significantly (P<0.05) in mice with a
maximum inhibition in the methanol extract treated mice (56.77%), followed by aqueous
(44.45%) and chloroform (39.16%) at thehighestdose of 800mg/kg b.wt. In addition, the extract
prolonged the survival time of P. berghei infected mice compared to the non-treated controls.
However, it did not prevent body weight loss and reduction in PCV values. Safety of the extract
was also revealed and mortality, sign of serious acute plus sub-acute toxicity were not observed
in those mice that received up to a single dose of 2000mg/kg/day during the follow up period.
Therefore, this result showed that crude aqueous, methanol and chloroform extracts of the leaf of
O. integrefoliaare nontoxic and possess potent antimalarial effects which may offer the potential
for a safe, effective and easily affordable phytomedicine in the fight against human malaria
parasites.
Key words: Antimalarialactivity,In vivo, Otostegia integrefolia, Plasmodium
berghei, toxicity, parasitaemia
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Keywords
Antimalarialactivity, Otostegia integrefolia, Plasmodium berghei, toxicity, parasitaemia