title: Antiplasmodial activity of Xanthium strumarium against Plasmodium berghei-infected BALB/c mice.
abstract: The present work was undertaken to evaluate the antiplasmodial activity of ethanolic leaves extract of traditional medicinal plant Xanthium strumarium in Plasmodium berghei-infected BALB/c mice along with phytochemical screening and acute toxicity test to support its traditional medicinal use as a malaria remedy. The ethanolic leaves extract of X. strumarium (ELEXS) 150, 250, 350 and 500 mg/kg/day demonstrated dose-dependent chemosuppression during early and established infection long with significant (p < 0.001) repository activity. The oral administration of 500 mg/kg/day concentration showed a maximum of 88.6% chemosuppression during early infection, which was more than that of the standard drug chloroquine (5 mg/kg/day) with 88.3% chemosuppression. However, 60% mortality has been found in this group. The LD(50) of ELEXS was found to be 1.5 g/kg/mouse. The administration of 350 mg/kg/day concentration of extract have been found to exert 90.40% chemosuppression during repository infection, which was well comparable to standard drug pyrimethamine (1.2 mg/kg/day) exerting 92.91% chemosuppression. The extract has been found to enhance mean survival time of mice from 21 to 26 days with 250 and 350 mg/kg/day concentrations, while 150 mg/kg/day concentration has been found to sustain all the mice up to 29 days which was similar to the employed standard drug chloroquine (5 mg/kg/day). All these findings support the ethanopharmacological use of X. strumarium as malarial remedy and indicate the potential of plant for active antiplasmodial components.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India. sanjeev.chandel@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chandel
authors.forename: Upma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bagai
authors.forename: Nisha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vashishat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol; D005260:Female; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000187:drug effects*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D031210:Xanthium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000431:Ethanol