ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF CRYPTOLEPIS SANGUINOLENTA BASED HERBAL CAPSULES IN PLASMODIUM BERGHEI INFECTED MICE

Abstract

Two Cryptolepis sanguinolenta based herbal capsules prepared at the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine, Mampong- Akwapim, Ghana, were evaluated for antiplasmodial activity using Plasmodium berghei in mice. The herbal capsules were evaluated for chemosuppressive activity on an early infection as well as for possible repository activity in which each mouse was infected with a standard inoculum of 10⁶ parasitized RBCs. Chloroquine and Amodiaquine were used as standard drugs. The results indicate that the herbal capsules possessed significant blood schizontocidal activity following chemosuppression of parasitemia in treated mice compared to the untreated control groups. The herbal based capsules of C. sanguinolenta have both schizontocidal as well as repository activity and may be useful in the treatment and prevention of malaria.