Evaluation of the Efficacy of Artemether/Lumefantrine/Doxycycline Combination against Plasmodium berghei in Mice

Abstract

Background: Malaria is common in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia, where it results in millions of mortalities per year. Resistance to currently available antimalarials further compounds the problem. Drug combination has been demonstrated to be effective in overcoming resistance to antimalarials. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the combination of Artemether/Lumefantrine (AL) and Doxycycline (DX) against Plasmodium berghei infection in mice. Methods: Thirty Adult Swiss albino mice were inoculated with the chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive P. berghei NK65 strain. The curative test involved oral administration of any of DX, AL, AL/DX, or Chloroquine (CQ) to mice with established infections, while the suppressive test was performed by treating mice shortly after parasite inoculation. Parasitemia levels were monitored using thin smears stained with Giemsa solution. Mean Survival Time (MST) was determined for each group. Results: In the curative test, DX, AL, and AL/DX exhibited parasitemia inhibitions of 81.4%, 94.5%, and 93.2%, respectively, while CQ achieved 93.5% inhibition. MST was significantly extended by DX, AL, and AL/DX treatments compared to negative control (NC). In the suppressive test, parasitemia inhibitions were 79.9%, 96.1%, 95.5%, and 94.9% for DX, AL, AL/DX, and CQ, respectively. The administration of DX, AL, and AL/DX also significantly prolonged MST compared to NC. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the drug combination, particularly AL/DX, exhibits significant antimalarial effects in both curative and suppressive tests. The combination treatments led to substantial reductions in parasitemia levels and extended mean survival time, indicating their potential as effective antimalarial strategies. These findings highlight the promising role of drug combinations in addressing malaria infections and suggest avenues for further investigation and development of combination therapies.