Volume 17, Issue 40, July - December, 2023

Clinico-biochemical and histopathological alterations in sub-chronically exposed mice (Mus Musculus) to polyherbal antimalarials

Rachel Omagha^1♦, Emmanuel T Idowu¹, Chibuisi G Alimba², Adetoro O Otubanjo², Esther O Agbaje³, Wellington A Oyibo⁴

¹Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
²Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
³Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
⁴Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Concerns have been raised in the safety of antimalarial remedies for them to be acceptable for use. The present study is an assessment of safety profiles of two plant-based antimalarial cocktail treatments, namely: Cocktail treatment A (CtA) and Cocktail treatment B (CtB). Materials and methods: The treatments have been prepared from a defined mixture of hot water extracts of 6 plant parts, based on how they are used locally as antimalarials. CtA comprised Enantia chlorantha Oliv., Cymbopogon citratus Stapf, Curcuma longa L., while CtB comprised Enantia chlorantha Oliv., Carica papaya L., Alstonia boonei De Wild and Mangifera indica L. Safety assessments were done as post antimalarial exposures of CtA, CtB administered in mice at 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg dose levels against Plasmoduim berghei berghei. Haematological parameters, biochemical parameters, and histopathological changes of vital organs were equally evaluated for mice sacrificed immediately after exposures on day 8 (D8) (suppressive), day 9 (D9) (curative), day 12 (D12) (prophylactic), day 6 (D6) (treated/unparasitized). These results of acute effects of the treatments were compared with corresponding curative, suppressive, prophylactic, treated/unparasitized groups of treated mice which were sacrificed on day 25 (D25) for sub-chronic effects of the cocktails aganist P. berghei infected mice. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 23.0. (p<0.05). Results: The treatments increased concentrations of packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cells and white blood cells, liver enzymes and oxidative stress biomarkers. However, these concentrations returned to normal levels by day 25 (D25). Heart and spleen morphology was normal in all the treatments. But pathological damages were observed in the kidney, liver and brain, indicating multi-organ toxicities. The damages were mostly observed in groups administered 400 and 800 mg/kg doses. Conclusions: Overall, findings demonstrated some toxicities associated with CtA and CtB antimalarials that could be transient, as demonstrated in some groups of the experimental mice where haematological and some biochemical parameters were returning to normal levels within 25 days post-treatment. Cautious administrations of these polyherbal cocktails within acceptable doses are safe for antimalarial therapies and their standardization is therefore encouraged.

Keywords: Polyherbal remedies; Antimalarials; Safety assessments; Haematological biochemical and histopathological toxicities; Mus musculus

Drug Discovery, 2023, 17(40), e30dd1948

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v17i40.e30dd1948

Published: 31 August 2023