Malaria parasite clearance rate of crude methanol extract of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta in mice infected with chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium berghei

Abstract

This study aims to determine the malaria parasite clearance rate of crude methanol extract of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta in mice infected with chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium berghei. P. berghei was injected in mice and left for 3 days for establishment. Blood sample collected and diluted with phosphate buffer saline was used for infection. Five (5) groups of animals (mice) were used in this study each containing 5 animals each. The body weights of the entire animal were recorded before and after treatment. Group 1 (normal control), Group 2 (positive control, untreated malaria-passaged mice), Group 3 (standard control, malaria -passaged mice treated with 25 mg/kg body weight of chloroquine), Group 4 (malaria-passaged mice treated with 200 mg/kg body weight of extract), and Group 5 (malariapassaged mice treated with 400 mg/kg body weight of extract). Hematological assessments were carried out before the experiment, 5 days after infection and after treatment. The percentage of parasite load in malaria passaged mice was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) lower in animals treated with mid and high doses of the extract when compared to control groups. Before treatment, no significant (p > 0.05) elevation was observed in the body weight of mice. On day 5 after infection, dose-dependent significant (p < 0.05) decrease was observed in the test groups. After treatment period, the body weights of the animals exhibited dose-dependent increase. The study thus revealed that Cryptolepis sanguinolenta root extracts possesses antimalarial activity in the in vivo mice model and has the ability of re-establishing the blood cells by boosting and stabilizing the blood parameters.