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Title: | Azadirachta indica extract–artesunic acid combination produces an increased cure rate of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice |
Authors: | Esimone, Charles Okechukwu Anagu, Onyeka Linda Attama, Anthony Amaechi Okore, Vincent Chima Gugu, Harrison Thaddeus Ngene, Augustine Arinze |
Keywords: | Artemisinin-based combination therapy Drug resistance Malaria parasites |
Issue Date: | 7-Feb-2014 |
Publisher: | Pharmaceutical Biology |
Citation: | Pharm Biol, 2014; 52(7): 883–889 |
Abstract: | Context: Available artemisinin-combination therapies (ACTs) are expensive. Various traditional herbal remedies for malaria involve plants, proven scientifically to have antiplasmodial effects, e.g., Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae). Objective: Combination of an artemisinin-based compound and a medicinal herb extract will provide an indigenous alternative/herb-based ACT. Materials and methods: The in vivo schizontocidal activity of the crude aqueous extract of 100, 500, and 1000 mg/kg of A. indica fresh leaves (NCE) and 6, 15, and 20 mg/kg of artesunic acid were determined, alone and in combination, while keeping the dose of artesunic acid constant at 15 mg/kg, using the Peter’s 4-day suppressive test and Swiss albino mice. The ED50 was calculated from the dose-response relationships. Percentage survival and cure were also determined. Results: The average yield of two extractions of NCE was 8.33 1.67%. Combination of 1000 mg/kg of NCE and 15 mg/kg of artesunic acid, produced a significant reduction of parasitemia (96.87%), compared to 20 mg/kg of artesunic acid alone (68.14%). The combination had an ED50 of 0.58 mg/kg while that of artesunic acid alone was 8.814 mg/kg. The combinations of NCE with artesunic acid produced a cure, although the artesunic acid did not produce a cure in 30 d. Discussion: NCE increased the activity of artesunic acid in terms of reduction in parasitemia, and increased survival time and cure rate. Conclusion: The combination of an artemisinin and aqueous extract of neem leaf is possible, providing a potentiated reduction of parasitemia, and increased cure rate |
URI: | DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2013.872153 http://repository.unizik.edu.ng/handle/123456789/315 |
ISSN: | 1388-0209 print/ISSN 1744-5116 online |
Appears in Collections: | Scholarly Works |
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