In vivo Antiplasmodial Activity of the Stem Extracts of Balanites aegyptiaca (L) Delile

Aims: To investigate in vivo antiplasmodial activity of the stem extracts of Balanites aegyptiaca (L) Del.

Study Design: Animal model infected with Plasmodium berghei.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria, between March 2011 and May 2011.

Methodology: Twenty healthy Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing between 20-30g were selected and divided into five groups. One group served as control, another group as standard and the others as the test groups for hexane, ethylacetate and methanolic extracts respectively. The mice were infected with Chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium berghei and left for 72hours for the infection to be established. 600 mgkg-1 bw day-1 dose was determined as safe and used for the analysis. After 72 hours of infection, the plant extracts were administered subcutaneously once daily for 4 days from D3 to D7. The control group was given 0.9w/v of normal saline. Thick and thin blood smears from the tail blood were examined for parasites. 5mg/kg bw of Chloroquine phosphate, used as control drug, was administered to the positive control.

Results: None of the three fractions (Hexane, Ethylacetate and Methanolic extracts) of B. aegyptiaca was completely able to clear the parasites in circulation. In fact, the group of mice given methanolic extract of B. aegyptiaca died before the control group while both groups given ethylacetate and Hexane fractions died on the 14th day after infection. The mice administered with hexane and ethyl acetate extracts suppressed parasitaemia on the 6th and 10th day respectively, these suggest that purification and isolation of these crude extracts to know the active compound responsible for the decrease in parasitaemia can be use as drug target in the treatment of malaria,

Conclusion: Stem extracts of B. aegyptiaca have suppressive effect on Plasmodium parasites but no curative effect. Further purification and isolation active compounds can help in discovery of a new antimalaria drug. It could thus be assumed that B. aegyptiaca is useful in the herbal malarial management by other mechanism other than plasmodicidal effect .Histological studies could establish reason(s) for the death of group treated with methanolic extract before the control group.