Abstract

PARASITAEMIA REDUCTION AND MODERATELY IMPROVED HAEMATOLOGICAL INDICES POTENTIALS OF HIPPOCRATEA AFRICANA ROOT BARK EXTRACT IN PLASMODIUM BERGHEIBERGHEI INFECTED MICE

*Jessie Idongesit Ndem and Utibe Evans Bassey

Abstract

The effect of Hippocratea africana root bark extract on parasitemiaconcentration and haematological indices of Plasmodium bergheibergheiinduced mice was investigated. Thirty-five albino miceweighing between 17g to 29g were divided into 7 groups with 5 micein each group. Group 1 served as normal control while Groups 2 – 7were parasitized with P. berghei-berghei obtained from a donor mousewith a parasitaemia of 5 x 107. Group 2 served as infected controlwhile Groups 3, 4 and 5 were orally administered 100mg/kg,200mg/kg and 300mg/kg of H. africana respectively daily for 4 days.Groups 6 and 7 received therapeutic doses of chloroquine andartesunate respectively. There was significant reduction in theparasitaemia of the extract treated groups, with 200mg/kg of H. africana showing the highestclearance of 89.8%. Artesunate showed 100% clearance being the standard drug for malariatreatment. Haematological indices of plasmodium infected mice were severely altered beforetreatments compared with the normal control. The results of the study showed that WBCcounts in the extract treated groups increased non-significant (p > 0.05) except in Group 5compared with Group 2. Non-significant (p > 0.05) increase in RBC counts, HGBconcentration and HCT levels were observed in the extract treated group compared withparasitized untreated Group 2. MCH and MCHC levels changed non-significantly in thetreated groups compared with Group 2 while platelet counts were increased non-significantlyin the extract treated groups when compared with the parasitized untreated group. Theethanol extract of root bark of Hippocratea africana has a potent antimalarial activity againstPlasmodium berghei-berghei and does not negatively affect the haematological indices of the infected mice beyond the derangement already induced by the parasite but moderately improves it.

Keywords: Hippocratea africana, Malaria, Plasmodium berghei-berghei, Haematology, Antiplasmodial Activity.