Ethanol Extract of Blighia sapida Stem Bark Show Remarkable Prophylactic Activity in Experimental Plasmodium bergheiInfected Mice

Olayinka O Otegbade; Johnson A Ojo; Dolapo I Adefokun; Oyindamola O Abiodun; Bolaji N Thomas; Olusola Ojurongbe

doi:10.33393/dti.2017.1365

Authors

Olayinka O Otegbade Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria.
Johnson A Ojo Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria.
Dolapo I Adefokun Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria.
Oyindamola O Abiodun Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Bolaji N Thomas Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.
Olusola Ojurongbe Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33393/dti.2017.1365

Keywords:

Plasmodium berghei, Blighia sapida, chemosuppression, curative, prophylaxis, efficacy and safety

Abstract

This work explores the antiplasmodial potential of ethanol extract of Blighia sapida (Lin. Sapindaceae) in chloroquine (CQ)-resistant Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain)infected mice. Chloroquine-resistant (ANKA) strain of P berghei was inoculated intraperitoneally into Swiss albino mice. Mice were treated orally for 4 consecutive days, before and after inoculation (prophylactic, suppressive, and curative models) with graded doses of the plant extracts with Artemether-Lumefantrine (Coartem) as control. Prophylactically, the extract showed a remarkable activity in the chemosuppression of P berghei parasites (P < .01) ranging from 57% to 36.5% at doses of 200 to 800 mg/kg, respectively, whereas Coartem (10 mg/kg) produced 62.1% chemosuppression. No significant chemosuppression was observed in the curative and suppressive models. The plant extract appeared to be safe at the highest dose tested (5000 mg/kg) for acute toxicity, with no adverse effect on the different organs. The plant extract possesses prophylactic antimalarial activity, which supports its use in the prevention of malaria.