1. In vivo antiplasmodial activities of aqueous extract of Bridelia ferruginea stem bark against Plasmodium berghei berghei in mice.
- Author
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Mbah CC, Akuodor GC, Anyalewechi NA, Iwuanyanwu TC, and Osunkwo UA
- Subjects
- Animals, Antimalarials administration & dosage, Antimalarials isolation & purification, Chloroquine pharmacology, Disease Models, Animal, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Female, Lethal Dose 50, Malaria drug therapy, Malaria parasitology, Male, Mice, Nigeria, Plant Bark, Plant Extracts administration & dosage, Plant Stems, Antimalarials pharmacology, Euphorbiaceae chemistry, Plant Extracts pharmacology, Plasmodium berghei drug effects
- Abstract
Context: Bridelia ferruginea Benth (Euphorbiaceae) is an indigenous medicinal plant in Nigeria. It is usually a gnarled shrub which sometimes reaches the size of a tree in suitable condition. Decoctions of parts of this plant have been employed in ethno medicine in many parts of Africa for treatment of many ailments including malaria fever., Objective: In vivo antiplasmodial activity of aqueous stem bark extract of BF was investigated against Plasmodium berghei-infected mice., Materials and Methods: The aqueous stem bark extract of BF (100-400 mg/kg) was administered orally to P. berghei-infected mice in both early and established models of antiplasmodial studies., Results: The extract exhibited significant (p < 0.05) antiplasmodial activity in early and established infection tests with a considerable mean survival time comparable to that of chloroquine, 10 mg/kg. The oral LD(50) obtained was greater than 5000 mg/kg in mice., Discussion and Conclusions: The findings show that aqueous stem bark extract of Bridelia ferruginea possesses considerable antiplasmodial activity which can be developed in malaria therapy.
- Published
- 2012
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