Assessment of the activities of Chasmanthera dependens Hochst. combined with other plants on chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium berghei

Abstract

The prevalence of Plasmodium strains resistant to conventional monotherapy drugs has necessitated the need for more effective and affordable antimalarial agents. This study aimed at evaluating the antimalarial activities of some indigenous plants alone and in combination with chloroquine with a view to proffering herbal combination therapy as an alternative to the currently used antimalarial combination therapy. Extracts obtained separately from the decoctions of the roots of Chasmanthera dependens Hochst. (Menispermaceae), Vernonia amygdalina Delile (Asteraceae) and methanol extract of Sphenocentrum jollyanum Pierre (Menispermaceae) leaf were analysed by high resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and evaluated for repeated-dose oral toxicity in mice using standard protocols. Assessments of C. dependens and V. amygdalina with their combination were carried out on chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium-infected mice with the 4-day chemosuppressive antimalarial test. Sphenocentrum jollyanum, C. dependens and their combinations with chloroquine (10 mg/kg) were assessed on chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium using the curative test model. The combination of C. dependens and V. amygdalina exhibited chemosuppression (71.1±3.7%) that was not significantly (p>0.05) different from chloroquine (80.1±1.9%). In the curative model, a significant parasite clearance (98.2%) was observed with the combination of C. dependens and chloroquine. The study concluded that the aqueous root extracts possessed potent antimalarial activity in chloroquine-sensitive malaria infection. It also revealed an additive interaction between C. dependens and chloroquine that could be further investigated as a herbal combination for chloroquine-resistant malaria.