EVALUATION OF THE ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF ENANTIA CHLORANTHA METHANOL STEM BARK EXTRACT IN PRE-CLINICAL MURINE MODEL OF MALARIA

ABSTRACT

Enantia chlorantha, a botanical resource, holds promise in the context of malaria treatment. This study aimed to assess its potential therapeutic effects in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei NK65. A total of 42 male Swiss albino mice were divided into six groups: Uninfected/untreated (Normal Control) (UN), Positive Control (PC), Negative Control (NC), and experimental groups EC1, EC2, and EC3. Apart from animals in group dubbed UN, all other animals were infected with 2 x 105 P. berghei. Three hours after infection, they were administered 25 mg/kg b.wt. chloroquine, normal saline and 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.wt. of E.chlorantha respectively for a 4-day duration. The extract caused a dose-dependent decrease in parasitemia, decreasing parasite levels in a comparable manner as chloroquine at 500 mg/kg b.wt. Concentration capable of decreasing parasite level by 50% was calculated as 150 mg/kg b.wt. Future research should delve deeper into its antimalarial mechanisms to harness its therapeutic potential fully.