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अमूर्त

In Vivo Anti-Plasmodial Effect of Ethanol and Aqueous Extracts of Alchornea cordifolia

Ezeokeke EE, Ene AC and Igwe CU  

Ethanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves, stem bark and roots of Alchornea cordifolia were tested for in vivo anti-malarial activity in 27 Swiss albino mice infected with chloroquine resistant Plasmodium bergei NK 65. The plant extracts were administered to the animals intraperitoneally, at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w.t., and compared with Artesunate (1.6 mg/kg) and Chloroquine (10 mg/kg) administered and an untreated control group. Ethanol yielded more extracts from the leaves and stem bark than water. Tannins, flavonoids, anthraquinones, alkaloids and glycosides were widely distributed in both ethanol and aqueous extracts of the plant. All animals administered the plant extracts and Artesunate gained weights in comparison with the chloroquine and untreated groups. The animals in the untreated and chloroquine treated groups died due to the infection at the end of days 5 and 10 respectively. The Artesunate group was eradicated of parasitemia by the 7th day. Comparison of the parasitemia levels of the plant’s extracts treated groups between days 0 and 14, showed that while ethanol leaves, stem bark and root extracts reduced parasitemia by 72.22%, 50.00% and 20.00% respectively, those of aqueous extracts reduced parasitemia marginally by 0%, 9.50% and 19.17% respectively. The results indicate that ethanol extracted active phytochemicals more from the leaves and stem bark of the plant than water, and that the presence of these secondary metabolites might be responsible for the higher anti-malarial activity observed with the leaves and stem bark extracts. This confirms the folkloric preferential use of A. cordifolia leaves as an anti-malarial agent.