title: Antimalarial efficacy of low molecular weight chitosan againstPlasmodium bergheiinfection in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite continuous global attempts to fight parasitic infections, malaria still remains one of the major human life threatening diseases. Difficulty of producing efficient antimalaria vaccines and increasing drug-resistant strains, highlight the urgent need to search for a new alternative antimalaria drug. The aim of this study was to find a new agent against malaria parasite with maximum efficacy and minimum range of side-effects. For this, the antiplasmodial activity of commercial chitosan, a natural carbohydrate polymer, was evaluated on Plasmodium berghei via in vivo experiments. This is the first report that to highlight antimalarial effects of low molecular weight chitosan against P. berghei in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Low molecular weight chitosan with 95% degree of deacetylation was melted in normal saline with 1% (w/v) acetic acid for preparing 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg concentrations of chitosan, which were then examined for their antimalarial efficacy in P. berghei infected mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study showed that differrent concentrations of chitosan exhibited significant antimalarial effect (p= 0.002) when compared with the control group. Also, analysis of mice survival time showed significant differences between 20 and 80 mg/kg concentrations of used chitosan in comparison to negative control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study showed that the chitosan has potent antimalarial activity and could be suggested as an alternative antimalarial drug component.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Aref
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teimouri
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Afsane Motevalli
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Haghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nateghpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Farivar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Haleh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hanifian
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sara Ayazian
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Roghayeh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zare
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D048271:Chitosan / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000187:drug effects*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D048271:Chitosan