Page 31 - ITPS-6-2

INNOSC Theranostics and
Pharmacological Sciences Residual versus curative antimalarial tests

negative and positive controls which were given the vehicle for 20 min, and then microscopically examined (×100
(tween 80/distilled water) and chloroquine diphosphate, magnification).
respectively. Mice were treated with the extracts, vehicle,
and standard drug once daily, and the level of parasitemia 2.8 Statistical analysis
was examined following the treatment. The animals were The results were expressed as mean ± SD. Descriptive
given their doses of extract on day 4 after the inoculation statistics were used to present the results and Student’s
of parasites on D , then once daily for 2 more days (D t-test was used to compare the treated and negative control
4
0
– D ) for the curative test and before inoculation for the groups.
5
repository test.
3 Results
2.7 In vivo plasmodial bioassay
3.1 Medicinal plants used in the management of
2.7.1 Evaluation of antimalarial properties of the malaria in Omu-Aran
extract on established infection (curative test)
A total of 22 respondents were interviewed: Two traditional
The curative potential of the test plants was evaluated using healers and twenty individual users of herbal medicine.
the method described in a previous study . Twenty-five They were aged between 34 and 91 years, and their
[21]
mice were divided into five groups (n = 5). Each mouse knowledge of herbal medicine was acquired from relatives,
was inoculated intraperitoneally on the 1 day (D ) with spouses, parents, and friends. The ethnobotanical survey
st
0
infected blood containing P. berghei-parasitized red blood revealed a total of 31 plant species belonging to 24 plant
cells and left untreated. On day 3 (D ) of the experiment, families, with the highest number of antimalarial plants
2
a pretreatment blood smear of each mouse was made to from Rubiaceae, followed by Asteraceae, Anacardiaceae,
confirm the infection. Animals were treated daily for Poaceae, and Musaceae (Table 1).
3 days (D – D ). Blood smears were collected on day 7 The leaf was the most frequently used part of the plant
3
5
post-infection (D ), the percentage of parasitemia was for medicinal preparations, followed by the stem barks,
6
determined, and the percentage chemosuppression (PCS) while two to three parts of the same plant are sometimes
was calculated using the formula below: used. Medicinal plants were dried and kept aerated until
−
A = BC × 100 (1) used. Some respondents indicated that the lack of moisture
content in the dried forms facilitates the preservation
B process, which they considered superior to using fresh
where: materials.
A=Average PCS, B=Average percentage of parasitemia The medicinal plants were prepared using various
in the negative group, and C=Average percentage of methods, including boiling the material in water
parasitemia in the test group . (decoction), soaking the plant material in water (infusion),
[23]
2.7.2 Evaluation of antimalarial properties of extract or soaking the plant in alcohol, aqueous extract from
on the residual infection (repository test) fermented maize (pap water), or other solvents such as a
carbonated drink or non-alcoholic beverages (tincture).
The residual infection protocol was a modification of the It was indicated that most of these medicinal plants are
procedure described in a previous study to evaluate the consumed orally in the form of decoction. For specific
[24]
prophylactic activity of the extract. A set of mice in various cases, steam baths and oral consumption of remedies
groups categorized as above were used. Animals were pre- were recommended, particularly when the materials were
treated before infection for 3 days. Treatment was initiated prepared with decoction.
on D and continued till D , and inoculated on D3 with the
2
0
parasite. On days 3 and 5 (D and D ) post-infection, blood According to the respondents, all medicinal plants were
6
8
smears were obtained from each mouse. The percentage of considered collectible throughout the year and at any time
parasitemia and chemoprophylaxis were then determined. during the day, with the exception of the period between
The chemoprophylaxis was also calculated using Equation 1. 6 pm and 7 am. In addition, many respondents indicated
that they avoided collecting plants on the town’s market
2.7.3 Evaluation of parasitemia days due to their superstitious beliefs. The collection of
Thin blood films were prepared by collecting blood from plants was not associated with any specific manner or the
the tail of each mouse and smeared on a properly cleaned need for incantations.
and well-labeled microscopic slide. The thin blood films The dosage for most of the remedies was usually half of
were fixed in methanol, stained with 10% Giemsa at pH 7.2 a small glass cup or stainless cup (approximately 100 mL),

Volume 6 Issue 2 (2023) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/itps.0300