Antiplasmodial Activity of ß-Ionone and the Effect of the Compound on Amelioration of Anaemia and Oxidative Organ Damage in Mice Infected with Plasmodium berghei.

INTRODUCTION: Owing to evolution of parasite strains that are resistant to existing antimalarial drugs, research for novel antimalarial medicines is progressing on numerous fronts. PURPOSE: Herein, we evaluated the in vivo anti-Plasmodium berghei activity of ß-ionone including its ameliorative potential towards P. berghei-associated anaemia and oxidative organ damage. METHODS: Mice were infected with chloroquine-sensitive strain of P. berghei and then treated with ß-ionone at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) for seven days. The parasitemia, packed cell volume and redox sensitive biomarkers in the liver, brain and spleen were estimated. RESULTS: Our result showed that ß-ionone, in a dose-dependent fashion, significantly (p < 0.05) repressed the multiplication of P. berghei. More so, the compound, at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg BW, significantly (p < 0.05) mitigated anaemia and organ damage induced by P. berghei. CONCLUSION: Overall, the findings demonstrated that ß-ionone has antiplasmodial actions and plays a mitigative role against P. berghei-induced anaemia and oxidative organ damage.

Therapeutic activity of eugenol towards mitigation of anaemia and oxidative organ damage caused by Plasmodium berghei.

The parasite responsible for causing malaria infection, Plasmodium, is known to exhibit resistance to a number of already available treatments. This has prompted the continue search for new antimalarial drugs ranging from medicinal plant parts to synthetic compounds. In lieu of this, the mitigative action of the bioactive compound, eugenol towards P. berghei-induced anaemia and oxidative organ damage was investigated following a demonstration of in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial effects. Mice were infected with chloroquine-sensitive strain of P. berghei and thereafter treated with eugenol at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) for seven days. The packed cell volume and redox sensitive biomarkers in the liver, brain and spleen were measured. Our result demonstrated that eugenol significantly (p < 0.05) ameliorated the P. berghei-associated anaemia at a dose of 10 mg/kg BW. In addition, the compound, at a dose of 10 mg/kg BW, significantly (p < 0.05) alleviated the P. berghei-induced organ damage. This evidently confirmed that eugenol plays an ameliorative role towards P. berghei-related pathological alterations. Hence, the study opens up a new therapeutic use of eugenol against plasmodium parasite.