Rosa damascena restrains Plasmodium falciparum progression in vitro and impedes malaria pathogenesis in murine model.

Malaria the parasitic disease of tropical countries is seeking newer therapeutic strategies owing to the drug resistance to existing drugs. The pathogenesis after infection renders the host to oxidative stress resulting in an altered immune status. Natural products rich in phenols are a source of bio-actives that could have a role in alleviating such condition. The present study reports the phenol rich ethyl acetate extract from the petals of Rosa damascena (RdEa) to be active against Plasmodium falciparum in-vitro and Plasmodium berghei in-vivo. It restores the haemoglobin level while increasing the mean survival time and chemo-suppression in P. berghei infected mice. The HPLC characterised RdEa was found to be rich in Gallic acid and Rutin besides other phenols. RdEa was capable of scavenging the free radicals and modulating the pro-inflammatory mediators (IL6, TNF, IFN and NO) favourably and also restored the architecture of hepatocytes as evidenced through histopathology. The extract was able to arrest the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced damage of J774A.1 cells (murine macrophages) and was found to be safe in mice upto 2000 mg/kg body weight.