Antiplasmodial Activity of Aqueous leaf Extract of Cymbopogon citratus against Plasmodium falciparum Infected Rats

Abstract

In Nigeria, malaria is a major public health problem and there are high cost of the effective antimalarial drugs, poor quality drugs and increased emergence of Plasmodial resistance. Thus, there is a need for alternative source of medicine in malaria treatment and prevention. The antimalarial potential of aqueous leaf extracts of Cymbopogon citratus was investigated in this present study. Twenty five Swiss albino rats with average weight of 30.80g were distributed into five groups (A, B, C, D and E) with five mice per group. Group B was infected with 0.2 ml O + human parasitized blood of Plasmodium falciparum and 0.1ml Chloroquine (Bini Laboratories Pvt Ltd). Group C, D, and E were infected with 0.2 ml O + human parasitized blood of Plasmodium falciparum treated with 40 mg/kg, 80 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg of Cymbopogon citratus extracts respectively for three days. The mice infected with 0.2 ml O + human parasitized blood of Plasmodium falciparum were observed for 72 hours for general symptoms of malaria. The mice tail was punctured, blood was examined under light microscope (x10) resolution) and several malaria parasites were found. Significant decrease of parasitemia levels was observed in 120 mg/kg body weight treated group compared to 0.1 ml Chloroquine the positive control. The result showed that Cymbopogon citratus possessed a good antimalarial property and can be use for prophylactic and chemotherapeutic purposes.