In vivo antimalarial effects of ethanol and crude aqueous extracts of phyllantus amarus

ABSTRACT: Phyllantus amarus was screened for in vivo antimalarial activity in albino mice. Ethanol and crude aqueous extracts were made and designated respectively as ethanol and crude aqueous extracts. Phytochemical screening of the entire plant except the roots were determined to ascertain the resident secondary metabolites which may be responsible for this antimalarial activity. The following phytochemicals were determined at varying concentrations: tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, sterols, and alkaloids. The plant was equally screened for its mineral content, some of which were found to be abundant, such as Ca, Fe, Mn, Mg, K, Na, Cd, Pb, and Zn. Chloroquine resistant Plasmodium berghei (NK65) were injected into the animals. Forty eight hours after inducing malaria infestation, the plant extracts were administered intraperitoneally for 4 TM used as standard antimalarials at a dose of 10 mg/Kg body wt respectively. Parasitemia was monitored microscopically in all groups for one week using thick and thin blood films obtained from the tail veins of each mouse. It was observed that the ethanol extract showed the highest antimalarial activity when compared with the aqueous extract treated group, the chloroquine treated group, the Artemeter treated group and the untreated group.The antimalarial activities of the extracts may be attributed to the phytochemicals/secondary metabolites resident in the ethnobotanical Phyllantus amarus. The plant can be used in the treatment of malarial infestation as well as the provision of essential minerals in health and nutrition. days at a dose of 10 mg/Kg body weight ; while Artemeter and Chloroquinine injections were