Schizontocidal effects of oral artesunate on Plasmodium berghei in mice and P knowlesi in monkeys.
OBJECTIVE
To study the blood schizontocidal effect of oral artesunate on P berghei in mice and P knowlesi in monkey.


METHODS
Effects of artesunate and chloroquine were detected with "4-day test" and "28-day test" on P berghei in mice and "7-day test" on P knowlesi in Macaca mudatta.


RESULTS
The suppressive efficacy of oral artesunate was inferior to chloroquine on P berghei K173 strain but the time for 50% and 90% reduction and the time of clearance of parasitemia was 10-15 h shorter than that of chloroquine. Its curative effect on RC/K173 line was markedly superior to that of chloroquine. Moreover, artesunate showed no cross-resistance with chloroquine, index of resistance I90 was only 1.4. At 31.6, 10.0, and 3.16 mg.kg-1, artesunate and chloroquine oral administrations cured P knowlesi in all monkeys. Recrudescence did not occur in 105 d.


CONCLUSIONS
The study of effects of oral artesunate in P berghei/mice and P knowlesi/Macaca mulatta model provided a useful index for clinical trial.
Shi
Y L
YL
Laboratory of Antimalarial Drug Research, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Li
G F
GF
Zhao
J H
JH
Yang
J D
JD
Ding
D B
DB
D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins; D000077332:Artesunate; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016790:Plasmodium knowlesi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D000077332:Artesunate; D002738:Chloroquine