Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria
<b>Background:</b> Most pregnant women living in high malaria endemic regions of Nigeria use herbal remedies for the management of malaria-in-pregnancy, rather than the commonly prescribed drugs. Remedies common to this area involve a suspension of <i>A. indica</i> (AI) leave...
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/8/12/79 |
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| author | Peter Uchenna Amadi Emmanuel Nnabugwu Agomuo Chinyere Nneka Ukaga Uche Chinedu Njoku Joy Adaku Amadi Chinweuba Godswill Nwaekpe |
| author_facet | Peter Uchenna Amadi Emmanuel Nnabugwu Agomuo Chinyere Nneka Ukaga Uche Chinedu Njoku Joy Adaku Amadi Chinweuba Godswill Nwaekpe |
| author_sort | Peter Uchenna Amadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background:</b> Most pregnant women living in high malaria endemic regions of Nigeria use herbal remedies for the management of malaria-in-pregnancy, rather than the commonly prescribed drugs. Remedies common to this area involve a suspension of <i>A. indica</i> (AI) leaves and in some cases, a suspension containing a mixture of AI and <i>D.</i><i>edulis</i> (PS). <b>Aim:</b> This study examined the therapeutic efficacies of AI, PS, or a combination of AI and PS in a pregnant rat model for exoerythrocytic stages of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> parasite. <b>Method:</b> A predetermined sample size of 30 dams was used (for a power level and confidence interval of 95%), and divided equally into six groups made up of non-malarous dams, untreated malarous dams, and malarous dams either treated exclusively with 1 mL of 3000 mg/kg b.w AI, 1000 mg/kg b.w PS, AI + PS (50% <i>v</i>/<i>v</i>), or 25 mg/kg b.w CQ. <b>Result:</b> No maternal mortality was recorded. AI significantly improved maternal weight gain from 32.4 to 82.2 g and placental weight from 0.44 to 0.53 g. In the curative test, AI and AI + PS significantly reduced the average percentage parasitemia (APP) in the pregnant rats from >80% to <20%. No significant difference in the APP was found between the pregnant rats treated with any of CQ or AI during the suppressive test. Results for the prophylactic test of the study groups showed that the APP was significantly reduced from 24.69% to 3.90% when treated with AI and 3.67% when combined with PS. AI + PS reduced diastolic blood pressure from 89.0 to 81.0 mm/Hg and compared with that of the non malarous dams. AI or AI + PS significantly increased the platelet counts (10<sup>3</sup> µL) from 214.1 to 364.5 and 351.2, respectively. AI and AI + PS improved birth weight from 2.5 to 3.9 g and crown rump length from 2.6 to 4.1 cm. For biomarkers of preeclampsia, combining AI and PS led to the reversal of the altered levels of creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, cardiac troponin, soluble Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase-1, and placental growth factor. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study validates the use of <i>A. indica</i> for the treatment of gestational malaria due to its antiplasmodial and related therapeutic effects and in combination with pear seeds for the management of malaria-in-pregnancy-induced preeclampsia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:36:11Z |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:36:11Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-68e90fbca5bc4d47af1a3d3e0bee394d2023-11-23T09:29:28ZengMDPI AGMedicines2305-63202021-12-018127910.3390/medicines8120079Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational MalariaPeter Uchenna Amadi0Emmanuel Nnabugwu Agomuo1Chinyere Nneka Ukaga2Uche Chinedu Njoku3Joy Adaku Amadi4Chinweuba Godswill Nwaekpe5Department of Biochemistry, Imo State University, Owerri 460102, NigeriaDepartment of Biochemistry, Imo State University, Owerri 460102, NigeriaDepartment of Animal and Environmental Biology, Imo State University, Owerri 460102, NigeriaDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Port Harcourt, Choba 500102, NigeriaDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Imo State University, Owerri 460102, NigeriaDepartment of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Owerri 460102, Nigeria<b>Background:</b> Most pregnant women living in high malaria endemic regions of Nigeria use herbal remedies for the management of malaria-in-pregnancy, rather than the commonly prescribed drugs. Remedies common to this area involve a suspension of <i>A. indica</i> (AI) leaves and in some cases, a suspension containing a mixture of AI and <i>D.</i><i>edulis</i> (PS). <b>Aim:</b> This study examined the therapeutic efficacies of AI, PS, or a combination of AI and PS in a pregnant rat model for exoerythrocytic stages of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> parasite. <b>Method:</b> A predetermined sample size of 30 dams was used (for a power level and confidence interval of 95%), and divided equally into six groups made up of non-malarous dams, untreated malarous dams, and malarous dams either treated exclusively with 1 mL of 3000 mg/kg b.w AI, 1000 mg/kg b.w PS, AI + PS (50% <i>v</i>/<i>v</i>), or 25 mg/kg b.w CQ. <b>Result:</b> No maternal mortality was recorded. AI significantly improved maternal weight gain from 32.4 to 82.2 g and placental weight from 0.44 to 0.53 g. In the curative test, AI and AI + PS significantly reduced the average percentage parasitemia (APP) in the pregnant rats from >80% to <20%. No significant difference in the APP was found between the pregnant rats treated with any of CQ or AI during the suppressive test. Results for the prophylactic test of the study groups showed that the APP was significantly reduced from 24.69% to 3.90% when treated with AI and 3.67% when combined with PS. AI + PS reduced diastolic blood pressure from 89.0 to 81.0 mm/Hg and compared with that of the non malarous dams. AI or AI + PS significantly increased the platelet counts (10<sup>3</sup> µL) from 214.1 to 364.5 and 351.2, respectively. AI and AI + PS improved birth weight from 2.5 to 3.9 g and crown rump length from 2.6 to 4.1 cm. For biomarkers of preeclampsia, combining AI and PS led to the reversal of the altered levels of creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, cardiac troponin, soluble Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase-1, and placental growth factor. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study validates the use of <i>A. indica</i> for the treatment of gestational malaria due to its antiplasmodial and related therapeutic effects and in combination with pear seeds for the management of malaria-in-pregnancy-induced preeclampsia.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/8/12/79malariaparasitemiapregnancypreeclampsia<i>Azadirachta indica</i><i>Dacryodes edulis</i> |
| spellingShingle | Peter Uchenna Amadi Emmanuel Nnabugwu Agomuo Chinyere Nneka Ukaga Uche Chinedu Njoku Joy Adaku Amadi Chinweuba Godswill Nwaekpe Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria Medicines malaria parasitemia pregnancy preeclampsia <i>Azadirachta indica</i> <i>Dacryodes edulis</i> |
| title | Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria |
| title_full | Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria |
| title_fullStr | Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria |
| title_short | Preclinical Trial of Traditional Plant Remedies for the Treatment of Complications of Gestational Malaria |
| title_sort | preclinical trial of traditional plant remedies for the treatment of complications of gestational malaria |
| topic | malaria parasitemia pregnancy preeclampsia <i>Azadirachta indica</i> <i>Dacryodes edulis</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/8/12/79 |
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