Potentiation of chloroquine by antiplasmodial fraction of moringa oleifera leaves in drug resistant Plasmodium berghei infection

Abstract

Background: This study assessed changes in blood chemistry associated with co-administration of chloroquine with antiplasmodial fraction of crude methanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves.

Methods: Partial phytochemical profiling of antiplasmodial extract was done using standard methods. Using Rane’s test, 60 male albino mice were randomized into 10 groups of six mice each. Nine groups were inoculated with quinine resistant strains of Plasmodium berghei and treated with tween 80,10mg/kg chloroquine (CQ), 10mg/kg CQ co-administered with graded concentrations of fractions of Moringa oleifera leaves, and standard artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) drug, Artemether lumefantrin at a dose of 1.14/6.85mg/kg, while the tenth group which was uninfected was treated with tween 80. Aside from percentage parasitaemia suppression, changes in liver and kidney function parameters and lipid profile were determined from blood collected by ocular puncture using standard methods.

Result: The Flavonoid rich antiplasmodial fraction co-administration with 10mg/kg CQ significantly (p < 0.05) dose and time dependently suppressed parasitaemia in the treated groups with total parasite clearance observed in the ACT and CQ-fraction treated groups by day 9. The chloroquine- fraction treatment decreased hepatic function enzyme activities significantly (p < 0.05), but not mean plasma bilirubin (p > 0.05). The changes in mean plasma urea, uric acid, triacylglycerols, cholesterol and lipoproteins concentrations were not significant (p > 0.05) when compared to the ACT treated controls.

Conclusion: The antiplasmodial fraction of the leaf extract of Moringa oleifera enhanced the antiplasmodial activity of CQ in the rodent malaria pathogenesis