THE EFFECT OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF ARTHROPTERIS PALISOTH ( IGBALADI ) ON MONOCYTES AND NEUTROPHILS OF PLASMODIUM BERGHEI INFECTION MICE

ABSTRACT Malaria continues to be a major global health issue, with more than three hundred million infections and one million deaths every year. The alteration of hematological parameters is a critical feature of malaria and can lead to severe hemorrhagic complications. Existing anti-malarial drugs primarily target the parasite but may not effectively address hematological complications. Despite extensive efforts to control the disease, drug resistance and the emergence of new Plasmodium strains remain persistent challenges, necessitating the exploration of innovative therapeutic strategies. Medicinal plants contain a wide range of secondary metabolites or compounds, including tannins, saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids, which play a crucial role in determining their therapeutic potential, particularly in terms of antimicrobial activity. The study was conducted to investigate the impact of varying doses of Arthroptoris palisotii extract on monocytes and neutrophils levels in Swiss albino mice infected with Plasmodium berghei NK65. Swiss albino mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with Plasmodium berghei NK65. The mice were grouped into six groups, six per group. Group I were not infected with P. berghei, Group II and III served as both positive and standard controls respectively, while Group IV, V, and VI were treated with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight of Arthroptoris palisotii extract respectively. After treatment period, all mice were sedated with ketamine and dissected. Blood obtained by cardiac puncture using EDTA treated bottles, sterile syringes and needles. Monocytes and neutrophils were measured using Sysmex KX-21 Hematology Analyzer (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan) at the Heamatology Unit of University of Calabar Teaching Hospital Laboratory, Calabar. The extract caused 14.3%, 36.3% and 69.2% suppression in parasitaemia at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg body weight respectively while Artesunate exerted 10.1% suppression at 5mg/kg body weight. There were significant decrease (P