Antimalarial Activity of Ethanol Extract of Mucuna pruriens Leaves on Nk65 Chloroquine Sensitive Strain of Plasmodium berghei

Mucuna pruriens leaves are used in some part of Nigeria for the treatment of malaria and anemia. With an estimated 3.3 billion people in 97 countries and territories at risk of being infected with malaria according to the WHO, researching into new chemotherapeutic agent against this disease is indeed necessary. This study was designed to evaluate the antimalarial effect of ethanol extract of Mucuna pruriens leaves on NK65 chloroquine sensitive strain of plasmodium berghei in mice. The bioactive compounds in the extract were identified using GC-MS. The experimental animals were divided into 6 groups: negative control, normal control, groups treated with chloroquine (10 mg/kg), Artemeter/Lumefantrine-ACT (20 mg/120 mg/kg), 500 mg/kg of M. pruriens, 1000 mg/kg of M. pruriens and 2000 mg/kg of M. pruriens respectively. Parasite inoculation was done by intraperitoneal injection of 0.2ml of the inoculum (1×107 infected erythrocytes). The GCMS result revealed the extract contains n-hexadeconoic acid, a compound known to possess antimalarial properties. The study revealed that the administrations M. pruriens leaves extracts at suitable doses reduced the parasite load and were able to maintain the PCV at a normal range with a stabilising effect on body weight.