A combination of the leaves and tuber of Icacina senegalensis A. Juss (Icacinaceae) improves the antimalarial activity of the plant in mice

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the possibility of increased antimalarial activity of Icacina senegalensis A. Juss (Icacinaceae) upon a combination of its leaves and tubers against Plasmodium berghei malaria in mice. Methods: Chloroquine sensitive ANKA clones of Plasmodium berghei were used to develop experimental models based on intraperitoneal injection of 10 7 parasitized erythrocytes in phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.2) and subsequent development of parasitemia. The models were employed to investigate prophylactic and curative anti-malarial activities of tuber and tuber- leaf methanol extracts of the plant at selected dosages (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight). Chloroquine with a curative dosage of 10 mg/kg body weight was used as positive control in both studies. Results: Tuber and tuber-leaf extracts produced a dose-dependent chemosuppression of the parasites, with higher activity and mean survival time exhibited by the combined extract. Conclusions: Anti-plasmodia activity has been discovered in methanol extract of Icacina senegalensis tuber extract. The observed optimization of the antimalarial actions of the plant upon a combination of its leaf and tuber opens a new area of medicinal plant research.