Antiplasmodial potential of homeopathic drugs Chelidonium and nosode against Plasmodium berghei infection.

Abstract

Malaria remains a major global health concern in developing regions of the world. Homeopathy, a holistic system of medicine, has a lot to offer in protecting against malaria. In the present study, antimalarial efficacy of combination of two homeopathic drugs Chelidonium 30 and nosode 30 has been evaluated in vivo against Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) infection using Peters 4-day test. Biochemical assays have been performed to assess the levels of hepatic and renal function biomarkers upon drug treatment using diagnostic kits. The combination of the drugs demonstrated considerable in vivo antimalarial activity with chemosuppression of 91.45% on day 7. The combination also significantly (p < 0.0005) enhanced the mean survival time of mice which was calculated to be 22.5 ± 6.31 days, whereas it was 8.55 ± 0.83 days in infected control. The increase in levels of the liver function marker enzymes tested in serum of treated mice were significantly less (p < 0.0005) than those observed in infected control on day 10. The serum urea and creatinine used for assessment of renal sufficiency were slightly elevated above normal, but were statistically significant (p < 0.0005) as compared to infected control. The study establishes the effectiveness of the combination against P. berghei in vivo along with the safety of the drugs to the liver and kidney functions of the host.