Antimalarial activities and lipid profile of ethanolic extract of Ficus sur Forssk (described by Peter Forsskål) in Plasmodium berghei infected albino rats.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Drug-resistant malaria is a significant issue in sub-Saharan Africa due to the limited availability of healthcare. This study examined the curative and antimalarial properties of Ficus sur leaf extract using a mouse model.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Thirty (30) male albino rats of the wistar strain, with weights spanning from 150 to 200 g, were divided into fifteen groups, each consisting of six rats. Group 1, which served as the control, administered 0.2 ml of 1 × 101Plasmodium berghei (NK 65 strain) infected erythrocytes intraperitoneally to Groups 2 to 5. Parasite control group 2 did not receive any treatment. From day 4 to day 8, the extract was administered to groups 3, 4, and 5 at varying doses: 400 mg/kg b.w. for the high dosage, 200 mg/kg b.w. for the moderate dose, and 10 mg/kg b.w. for chloroquine, respectively. Blood samples were collected from the submandibular region of the animals on days 0, 4, and 8 to evaluate parasitemia and lipid profile.

RESULTS

The findings from this study indicate that by day 4, all treated groups showed similar parasitemia levels to the positive control (PC), with a significant increase (p < 0.001). By day 8, parasitemia was highest in the P.C. group (48.74 ± 0.42 %), while high dose extract (HDE), low dose extract (LDE), and standard control (SC) significantly reduced parasitemia (p < 0.001). The SC group demonstrated the highest inhibition (83.17 ± 0.65 %), proving the most effective in reducing parasitemia. While in lipid profile result, HDE and LDE effectively restored low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol (T. Chol) levels, with HDE being more effective, while the SC group maintained near-normal values. High density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were significantly improved by HDE and LDE, though not reaching negative control (NC) values, while SC showed near-normal levels. Triglyceride (Trig.) levels remained consistent across all groups with no significant differences.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate that Ficus sur fractions possess promising antimalarial properties and could be explored as a potential alternative therapy for malaria treatment.