To evaluate the potential prophylactic activity of traditional polyherbal remedy against malaria.
Methods
A traditional polyherbal remedy against malaria from Odisha, India was evaluated for its potential prophylactic activity using in vitro hepatic cell lines assay and the murine malaria system Plasmodium yoelii yoelii/Anopheles stephensi.
Results
The polyherbal extract inhibited the Plasmodium yoelii hepatic stages in vitro (IC50 0.74 mg/mL), a therapeutic index of 9.54. In mice treated with the aqueous extract (2 000 mg/kg/day), peak parasitaemia values were 81% lower in the experimental 2.35% ± 0.14% as compared to controls 12.62% ± 0.52% (P < 0.001), suggesting significant prophylactic activity.
Conclusions
The observations provide a proof of concept for a traditional malaria prophylactic remedy used by tribal populations in India.
