title: Antimalaria action of antiretroviral drugs on Plasmodium berghei in mice.
abstract: Malaria parasitemia enhances replication of human immunodeficiency virus. Antiretroviral drugs that possess antiplasmodial activity may reverse such an effect. Activity of the antiretroviral drugs lamivudine (L), zidovudine (Z), nevirapine (N), and stavudine (S) against Plasmodium berghei inoculated into 70 adult albino mice was investigated. Eight groups of five animals each were treated with different drugs as either curative or prophylactic regimens. These regimens were also given to four groups as L/Z/N or L/S/N. Z therapy alone and L/Z/N eliminated malaria parasites as follows: curative and prophylactic Z groups, mean ± SEM = 62,132.87 ± 22,816.1 parasites/μL and 62,474.85 ± 14,639.1 parasites/μL, respectively on day 4 and 0 parasites/μL on day 26; curative L/Z/N group, 31,583.53 ± 6,361.67 parasites/μL, and 0 parasites/μL (days 4 and 18, respectively); prophylactic L/Z/N group, 41,138.1 ± 3,528.03 parasites/μL, and 0 parasites/μL (days 4, and 20 respectively). Peters four-day suppressive values were 67-82.2%. Zidovudine or L/Z/N therapy may modify the epidemiology of malaria and therefore the pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. a_akinyede@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Akinwumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akinyede
authors.forename: Alade
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akintonwa
authors.forename: Olufunsho
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Awodele
authors.forename: Sunday
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olayemi
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oreagba
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Okany
authors.forename: Oluwagbemiga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Aina
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akindele
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D000962:Antimalarials