Comparative Assessment of the Antimalarial Activity of Nephrolepic Undulata, Nephrolepis Biserrata, Platycerium Stemaria and Platycerium Angolense In Mice
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Date
2022
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The Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University
Abstract
The study determined the in vivo antimalarial activities of methanol extracts of the four ferns namely; Nephrolepis undulata, N. biserrata, Platycerium stemaria, P. angolense in mice, identified the most active fern and determined the relative antimalarial activities of its partitioned fractions.
This was with the aim of providing information on the relative antiplasmodial profile of the ferns.
The four ferns were collected from different locations on Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife campus. They were separately air-dried, powdered and the methanol extracts obtained after cold maceration process and afterwards concentrated in vacuo. After preliminary toxicity studies, using Lorke’s method, the four extracts were investigated (100-800 mg/kg) for antimalarial potency against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei berghei in mice using the Peters four-day test. Normal saline and chloroquine (10 mg/kg) were negative and positive controls, respectively. The extracts were administered orally. Nephrolepis undulata which displayed the highest antiplasmodial activity was partitioned into solvents of different polarities to give n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions, which were also tested at 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg.
The survival times and percentage survivors of mice were determined after a 28-day observation for mortality. All the results were subjected to statistical analysis using ANOVA with Student Newman Keul’s post hoc test. The methanol extract of Nephrolepis undulata with the least average percentage parasitaemia of 1.40 %, percentage chemosuppression of 71.2 % at the highest dose of 800mg/kg, ED50 and ED90 of 294.27±17.72 and 560.45± 39.5, respectively was the most active and was also comparable (p>0.05) in activity to chloroquine (10 mg/kg), the positive control which gave a percentage parasitaemia of 1.92%. The average percentage parasitaemia of 1.40, 1.58, 2.18, 1.85 % and percentage chemosuppression 71.20, 59.28, 35.60, 52.82 % elicited by Nephrolepis
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undulata, N. biserrata, Platycerium stemaria and P. angolense, respectively at the highest doses tested gave an order of activity N. undulata>P. stemaria > N. biserrata> P. angolense for the four ferns. The comparatively lower percentages chemosuppression of 28.15, 44.98, 46.53, 38.37 % and higher effective doses of 809.06, 692.17, 675.26, 625.23 elicited respectively by n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and the aqueous partitioned fraction of the most active N. undulata suggested that the active antimalarial constituents are acting synergistically. However, the similar high percentage survivor elicited in mice by the dichloromethane fraction with chloroquine, the standard drug may suggest further exploration of N. undulata for its antimalarial constituents. Otherwise, a combination of these four ferns can be explored for further activity in the ferns.
It can be deduced from the result of the study that Nephrolepis undulata is the most active fern of the four as antimalarial agent and its active constituents are probably acting synergistically.
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Akosile, O.R.(2022). Comparative Assessment of the Antimalarial Activity of Nephrolepic Undulata, Nephrolepis Biserrata, Platycerium Stemaria and Platycerium Angolense In Mice. Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University.