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INNOSC Theranostics and
Pharmacological Sciences Residual versus curative antimalarial tests

the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022, this speciosa L., Lawsonia purpurea Lam., Lawsonia coccinea
specific age group accounted for 77% of all malaria-related Sm, Lawsonia alba Lam., and Lawsonia spinosa L. (WFO,
deaths worldwide . In 2020, the number of malaria cases 2022) . Its plant parts, including the leaves, flowers,
[11]
[1]
increased to 241 million, an increase from 228 million seeds, stem bark, and roots, have been reported to exhibit
cases in 2018, with 627,000 of these cases resulting in many biological activities, which include wound healing,
fatalities. Notably, 96% of these deaths occurred in the antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic,
African region . The WHO identified twenty countries in antimalarial, hepatoprotective, and hypoglycemic [12-14] .
[1]
the African region, along with India, as the locations where M. lucida (L.), also commonly called the Brimstone
approximately 85% of all global malaria deaths occur.
tree, is a medicinal plant that belongs to the family of
On the global scale, Nigeria bears a very high malaria Rubiaceae and is located in the tropical West African
burden, with the highest cases of malaria-related death rainforest . Conventionally, the leaves are used as an
[15]
(24%), followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, analgesic, antipyretic, laxative, and antimalaria . Different
[16]
with an estimated occurrence of about 11% of malaria- parts of the plant have also been reported to possess
related death. The economic and social effects of malaria strong trypanocidal, aortic vasorelaxant, anticancer,
should not be overlooked, as it leads to a reduction in the hepatoprotective, antispermatogenic, anti-inflammatory,
Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria by approximately 1% hypoglycemia, and antidiabetic activities [14,17-19] .
annually and is the primary cause of absenteeism .
[2]
T. diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray, commonly called the
The increasing incidence of malaria, a rise in malaria- Mexican sunflower, belongs to the family of Asteraceae. It
related death, and the growing resistance of the malaria is used folklorically to treat ailments, including malaria. It
parasite to synthetic drugs have sparked interest in has scientifically been reported to possess antiplasmodial
alternative treatment strategies. Traditional medicinal activity .
[13]
plants have historically played a significant role in the
development of novel antimalarial drug therapies. For This report focuses on the ethnobotanical survey
instance, compounds such as quinine and its derivatives conducted in Kwara State, Nigeria, to identify local plants
are primarily derived from the Cinchona plant, while used to treat malaria. In addition, it presents the in vivo
artemisinin is derived from Artemisia annua [3,4] . These antiplasmodial activity of aqueous and organic extracts
discoveries highlight the potential of medicinal plants of leaves of T. diversifolia, C. odorata, and L. inermis, as
to provide valuable insights into effective anti-parasitic well as the leaves and stem bark extracts of N. latifolia and
compounds. Consequently, it is important to properly M. lucida. The present study investigated the effects of
document and scientifically investigate the diverse range administration timing of these extracts on mice infected
of medicinal plants that abound in Nigeria to validate their with Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain, a rodent malaria
traditional usage. parasite.

Various medicinal plants folklorically used for the 2 Materials and methods
treatment of malaria have been scientifically confirmed.
Some of these plants include Chromolaena odorata, 2.1. Description of the study area
Nauclea latifolia, Lawsonia alba lam., Morinda lucida, and Omu-Aran is the headquarter of Irepodun Local
Tithonia diversifolia. Government Area, one of the 16 Local Government
C. odorata (L.) is a perennial shrub that belongs to the Areas in Kwara State. It is located at coordinates 8°2’17”
Asteraceae plant family. In Nigeria, the plant is known N, 5°10’30” E at 80 km from the state capital, Ilorin. The
for its antimicrobial and wound-healing properties and region is home to Igbomina ethnic group, and the major
is commonly used in the treatment of various ailments, spoken language is Yoruba (Figure 1).
such as diarrhea, malaria fever, toothache, diabetes, skin 2.2 Ethnobotanical data collection
diseases, dysentery, and colitis [5,6] .
The ethnobotanical survey was conducted among
N. latifolia Smith (Rubiaceae family) is a plant used in traditional healers and users of traditional medicine.
Africa for treating various ailments, including malaria [7,8] . Socio-demographic data of respondents were collected.
Lawsonia inermis L. (Lythraceae family), commonly Ethnobotanical data were collected mainly through oral
called Henna, is widely spread and cultivated in North interviews using a structured questionnaire. Information
Africa, Australia, Asia, and the Northern and Southern on local plant names, useful plant parts, preservation of
parts of Nigeria [9,10] . According to the World Flora Online plant materials, methods of preparation, application mode,
(WFO) database, L. inermis is synonymous with Lawsonia dosage, and duration of treatment were recorded during

Volume 6 Issue 2 (2023) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/itps.0300