Nedi, Teshome (PhD)Habte, Getu2019-02-052023-11-062019-02-052023-11-062018-11http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/16247Antimalarial activity of aqueous and 80% methanol crude seed extracts and solvent fractions of Schinus molle Linnaeus (Anacardiaceae) in Plasmodium berghei infected mice Getu Habte Addis Ababa University, 2018 Malaria is one of the major global public health problems. Resistance to antimalarial drugs has been a major challenge in controlling the disease. This issue makes the development of novel antimalarial drugs a necessity. Medicinal plants had been one of the important sources in discovering antimalarial drugs. Schinus molle Linnaeus is among medicinal plants that are used for the treatment of malaria in Ethiopia and exhibited in vitro antimalarial activity. Nevertheless, it lacks further in vivo pharmacological investigations to substantiate its antimalarial activity. As a result, this study was aimed at investigating in vivo antimalarial activity of aqueous and 80% methanol crude seed extracts and solvent fractions of Schinus molle in Plasmodium berghei infected mice using peter’s four day suppressive test. The crude extracts and fractions were administered at doses of 100, 200 and 400mg/kg. Parameters including body weight, packed cell volume, temperature, survival time and parasitemia were then determined. The crude extracts and solvent fractions exerted significant inhibition of parasitemia compared to the negative control. Chemosuppressive effects exerted by the crude extracts and solvent fractions were in a range of 27.18-66.91% and 15.64-55.60%, respectively. The highest inhibition of parasitemia was exhibited by the highest dose of 80% methanol crude extract. Among the fractions of the 80% methanol crude extract tested, chloroform fraction demonstrated the highest inhibition. Moreover, the crude extracts and solvent fractions prevented loss of weight, reduction in temperature and anemia compared to the negative control in a dose dependent manner. In addition, they significantly prolonged the survival time of infected mice except the aqueous fraction. In conclusion, the findings of the present study show that the seed of Schinus molle has in vivo antimalarial activity which supports the traditional claim and promising to be a source for developing more effective and safer antimalarial drugs, and alerts in depth investigations on the plant.en-USSchinus molle, crude extracts, fractions, Plasmodium berghei, antimalarial activity, in vivo.Thesis