Antimalarial Effects of the Aqueous Extract of Entandrophragma angolense Bark on Plasmodium berghei Infection in Mice

Background: Research for new antimalarial drugs remains a permanent quest for the control of malaria. Objective: The present study investigates the effects of the aqueous extract of Entandrophragma angolense bark on P. berghei-induced malaria in mice. Methods: Eight weeks old mice, were intraperitoneally infested with 200 μl of blood, containing 1x10⁶ P. berghei-infected-erythrocytes. Parasitaemia was determined using a 10% giemsa stained blood smear read under optical microscope (x100). The infected animals were randomized into 5 groups of 10 animals each and daily treated for 5 days with the plant extract at 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg. The normal control and malaria control received water while the chloroquine control was treated with 10 mg/kg of chloroquine. Body weight, parasitaemia and survival time were monitored daily during treatment and follow up periods. Five animals from each group were sacrificed under anaesthesia at the end of treatment (d8) and after the follow up period (d28). Venous blood was used for haematological and biochemical tests. Organs (liver, kidneys and spleen) were also collected for biochemical and histological analyses. Results: Administration of the aqueous extract of E. angolense bark to infected mice significantly inhibited parasite development (p <0.001) with ED₅₀ estimated at 25.32 mg/kg. The extract prevented animal from death, body weight loss, anaemia, leucocytosis, high transaminases (ALT and AST), high bilirubin, creatinine and MDA levels, oxidative stress and anatomical alteration in organs as compared to the malaria control. Conclusion: The E. angolense bark possesses antimalarial properties, supporting its use in traditional medicine to treat malaria.