Pharmacological Efficacy of Ethanol Leaf Extract of Justicia secunda in Swiss Albino Mice Experimentally Infected with Plasmodium berghei

Abstract Background Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria has developed resistance to most antimalarial medications and this has prompted research on natural products. The plant, Justicia secunda, is domesticated in the tropical region of Africa, and is used for the treatment of anaemia and other debilities. We evaluated the antiplasmodial and immunomodulatory activity of ethanol leaf extract of J. secunda in mice experimentally infected with Plasmodium berghei. Result Ethanol leaf extract of Justicia secunda contains steroids, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, glycosides and carbohydrate as well as thirty (30) compounds with numerous pharmacological activities. The LD50 was above 5,000mg/kg with no mortality. A dose-dependent percentage suppression of P. berghei was observed in the curative test for the three doses respectively (53.13%, 60.71%, 71.21%). The suppressive test for ethanol leaf extract of J. secunda also showed a similar trend (52.2%, 62.16%, 75.18%). The ethanol leaf extract of J. secunda effectively prevented anaemia, reduced the level of ALT enzyme and also increased the level of TNF-α and IL-10 in the plasma of P. berghei-infected mice. It also significantly reduced the oxidative stress and vascular congestion in the liver of mice infected with P. berghei. Conclusion This study revealed that ethanol leaf extract of J. secunda could be utilized to treat infection caused by Plasmodium parasite and also ameliorate the pathogenesis of the disease.