Antiplasmodial activity of combined bark extracts of Vernonia amygdalina, Mangifera indica, and Carica papaya at a 1:1:1 Ratio in a Murine Malaria Model

Abstract

Background: Malaria remains a significant global health burden, exacerbated by the rising prevalence of drug-resistant Plasmodium strains. This critical public health challenge highlights an urgent need for novel anti-malarial therapies, with traditional herbal medicine offering a promising avenue for drug discovery. This study evaluated the antiplasmodial efficacy of bark extracts from Vernonia amygdalina (BB), Mangifera indica (MB), and Carica papaya (PB), investigating both individual treatments and polyherbal combinations in an experimental parasitic infection model.

Methods: Parasitaemia was established in mice, followed by a 5-day curative treatment initiated on day 4 post-infection. Mice were administered 400 mg/kg of each extract, 10 mL of distilled water (negative control), or 5 mg/kg of Chloroquine (CQ) as a positive control. Parasite clearance was assessed on day 9 post-infection.

Results: Our findings demonstrated synergistic antiplasmodial activity in the polyherbal combinations for both aqueous and ethanol extracts, outperforming individual extract treatments. Notably, the triple ethanol combination (BB+MB+PB) exhibited the highest parasite clearance at 89.71%, closely approaching the standard drug CQ (97.89%), representing only an 8.18% difference in efficacy.

Conclusion: These results offer significant insights into the therapeutic potential of these plant extracts, particularly when combined, advocating for further dose-response investigations into their collective anti-malarial properties.