ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF CROTON MACROSTACHYUS EXTRACTS AGAINST PLASMODIUM SP.

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants to cure parasitic infections has been practiced for time immemorial. Malaria con

trol using plant extracts can be targeted against the parasites both in vitro and in vivo or against the female

anopheline vectors. Some chemical constituents in plants with antimalarial activity include the alkaloids, ter

penes, terpenoids, epoxides, quinones and various steroidal compounds.The overall aim of this study is to iso

late and test antimalarial compounds from the extracts of C. macrostachyus in vivo. The data for this study was

obtained by an experimental case-control procedure using inbred Balb/c mice for treatment and control groups.

Mice in groups of six were infected with Plasmodium berghei (ANKA) and treated with various concentrations

of C. macrostachyus extracts, while artemether was used as positive control and Tween-80 as a negative control.

An in vivo treatment assay of C. macrostachyus against P. berghei showed percent suppression of parasitaemia

for ethyl acetate extract positive control (87.64±1.264), 500mg/kg(81.71±0.728), 250mg/kg(81.71±0.728) and

100mg/kg (61.82±0.571). The methanol extract showed percent suppression of parasitaemia for positive con

trol (97.22±0.225), 500mg/kg(68.14±0.670), 250mg/kg (33.61±0.609) and 100mg/kg (27.44±0.443). The aque

ous extract results were for positive control as 99.20±0.156, 500mg/kg, 71.85±0.447, 250mg/kg, 44.23±0.064

and 100mg/kg 24.36±0.447. The butanol extract give results for positive control as 100±0.000, 500mg/kg as

80.44±1.259, 250mg/kg as 60.66±0.445 and 100mg/kg as 72.69±0.306. Analysis of variance showed significant

differences in the suppression of parasitaemia p(<0.001).

The study showed that it is possible to control the growth of parasites by various extracts of C. macrostachyus

in vivo in Balb/c mice. C. macrostachyus extracts can be further studied and purified for possible incorporation

into antimalarial drug production.