BackgroundThe leaf of Zehneria scabra is traditionally used for the management of diarrhea in Ethiopia. Its use, however, has not been scientifically validated for safety and efficacy. The aim of this study was to investigate antidiarrheal and antisecretory effects of hydroalcolic leaf extract of Z. scabra in mice models.MethodsFor each of antidiarrheal, gastrointestinal motility and antisecretory activity study Swiss albino mice were divided in to five groups. Group I was treated as control group and received 10 ml/kg of 2% Tween-80 orally; Group II served as a positive control and took standard drug in each of the experiments orally; Group III, IV and V were test groups which received the methanolic extract orally at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. Depending on the model total weight of fecal output, total weight of wet feces, total number of fecal output, number of wet faeces, length of intestinal transit and intestinal weight were collected. Finally, data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post test.ResultIn castor oil induced diarrhea model, the extract dose produced a significant reduction in mean stool score (1.94 ± 0.102) at 200 mg/kg. Moreover, the 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg doses inhibited stool frequency by 40, 45 and 55%, respectively. All test doses of extract and loperamide (3mg/kg) reduced fecal fluid content significantly (p<0.01). The 100 mg/kg dose of extract produced 25.74% reduction of fluid content (p<0.001) while both 200 and 400 mg/kg showed 29.70 % (p<0.001) compared to negative control group.ConclusionThe extract of Zehineria scabra showed antidiarrheal and antisecretory activity in mice model. Moreover, the extract found to be safe at dose of 2000mg/kg in mice model. The findings suggest the validity of the acclaimed effect of Zehineria scabra as antidiarrheal agent in Ethiopian traditional herbal medicine.

BackgroundIn addition to pharmacovigilance and pharmaco-economic concerns, resistance to anti-malarial medicines has been documented in all classes of anti-malarials and this is further worsened by resistance to common insecticides by malaria vector, which is a major threat to malaria control. As a means of facing the challenges of searching for new anti-malarial agents, the current study focused on evaluation of anti-malarial activity of root extract of Indigofera spicata.MethodsChloroquine-sensitive rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain) was used to infect the Swiss Albino mice in 4-day suppressive and curative models. The crude hydromethanolic root extract of I. spicata at 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg doses was administered to a group of five mice. Important parameters, such as level of parasitaemia, packed cell volume (PCV), survival time, and body weight were determined and the significance of the differences between mean values of the five groups was analysed by one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc Tukey’s Multiple Comparison test.ResultsIn both the suppressive and curative models, 400 and 600 mg/kg doses of the extract suppressed the level of parasitaemia significantly (p < 0.001) compared to the vehicle-treated groups, 34.93 and 53.42%, respectively. However, only the mice which were treated with the 600 mg/kg dose of the extract had significant difference in their mean survival time. In other parameters, namely PCV and mean body weight, there was no statistically significant difference between the extract-treated groups when compared to the negative control.ConclusionsThis study revealed that the root extract of I. spicata possesses anti-malarial activity and necessitates further scientific validation.

Background In Ethiopia, stem bark of Periploca linearifolia is used for the treatment of malaria by the local community and demonstrated antimalarial activity in vitro. Despite its in vitro antimalarial activity, no scientific study has been carried out to verify its activity in vivo. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the antimalarial activity of Periploca linearifolia stem bark extract in mice. Methods The dried stem bark of Periploca linearifolia was extracted with 80% methanol and evaluated for its antimalarial activity on both early and established Plasmodium berghei infected mice. The extract was prepared at graded doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg. Chloroquine and distilled water were administered to the positive and negative control groups, respectively. Results The crude extract, at all tested doses, suppressed parasitemia significantly (p < 0.05) for 200 and 400 mg/kg and (p < 0.001) for 600 mg/kg. The suppression values at these doses were 56.98, 43.33, and 38.17 percent, respectively. Periploca linearifolia extract also demonstrated schizonticidal activity in the established malaria infection. Conclusion The plant Periploca linearifolia has a promising antimalarial activity in mice, supporting its in vitro finding. Thus, it could be considered as a potential source to develop new antimalarial agent.

Background. The management and control of malaria has become gradually challenging due to the spread of drug-resistant parasites, lack of effective vaccine, and the resistance of vector to insecticides. Consequently, novel agents are urgently needed from different sources including from medicinal plants. In Ethiopia and Uganda, Myrica salicifolia root is traditionally claimed for the treatment of malaria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo antimalarial activity of root crude extract of M salicifolia. Methods. The parasite, Plasmodium berghei was used in this study since it is an appropriate parasite that is most commonly used because of its higher accessibility. A 4-day suppressive test was employed to evaluate the antimalarial effect of crude extract against early infection. The curative and prophylactic effect of the crude extract was further tested by Rane’s test and residual infection procedure. Parasitemia, survival time, packed cell volume, body weight, and rectal temperature of mice were used as evaluation parameters. Windows SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the data and analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s honestly significant difference to compare results between groups. Results. The root crude extract of M salicifolia significantly ( P < .05-.0001) suppressed parasitemia. The crude extract exhibited a chemosuppression of 40.90. Conclusion. The development of new antimalarial agents and the finding supports the traditional claims and previous in vitro studies.

The objective of this study was to assess traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM) utilization pattern among HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral therapy at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Materials and Methods. Data on sociodemographic profile and clinical and TCAM utilization were collected using a structured, pretested questionnaire from April 01 to May 28, 2014, through interviews with patients. Data on CD4 count, HIV stage, and ART regimen were collected from patient records. Analysis was conducted descriptively using SPSS version 20. Results. Of the 300 participants, 43.7% reported using TCAM, with the largest proportion of them from religious institutions (churches/mosques) (41.22%), followed by home prepared (32.82%) and traditional healers (16.03%). The leading forms of TCAM used were spiritual and herbal therapies constituting 56.49% and 36.64% of the patients, respectively. The most frequently used herbal products included Nigella sativa (22.92%) and Moringa oleifera (20.83%). Most of the patients (73.30%) using TCAM reported improvement in their conditions. Conclusions. TCAM utilization among HIV/AIDS patients on ART was common and different sources and types were used alongside ART, with improvement reported by most. Further research is needed to identify CAM therapies which may be used as adjunct treatments among these patients.