Open AccessAntimalarial potential of homeopathic medicines against schizont maturation of Plasmodium berghei in short-term in vitro culture
Author(s) -
Aswathy Rajan,
Upma Bagai
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of high dilution research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1982-6206
DOI - 10.51910/ijhdr.v11i41.620
Subject(s) - plasmodium berghei , plasmodium falciparum , traditional medicine , tincture (heraldry) , in vitro , pharmacology , artemisinin , malaria , biology , chemistry , medicine , biochemistry , immunology
In vitro assessment of antimalarial drug susceptibility of Plasmodium has been a major research success, which has paved the way for the understanding of parasite and rapid screening of antimalarial drugs for their effectiveness. In the present study a preliminary screening to check the antiplasmodial activity of mother tincture (ϕ) and various potencies (6C, 30C, 200C) of homeopathic medicines Cinchona officinalis/china (Chin.), Chelidonium majus (Chel.) and Arsenicum album (Ars.) were done by assessing the in vitro schizont maturation inhibition assay. A significant reduction in the growth of intraerythrocytic stages of P. berghei was observed with decreasing dilution of ϕ and various potencies of Chin., Chel. and Ars. exhibiting a dose dependent effect. Maximum schizont maturation inhibition was observed by Chin. ϕ (1:1), Chin. 30 (1:1, 1:2) and Chel. 30 (1:1) i.e. 80%. The standard drug CQ at 10 µM concentration exhibited 95.4±1.6% inhibition of schizont maturation. Ars. 30 (1:1) also have been found to possess strong antiplasmodial efficacy with 75.5±2.6% schizont inhibition. The presence of free merozoites in Ars. 200 with weak schizonticidal inhibition activity (40-45%) also pointed towards the ability of parasite to survive in the given drug pressure.