Investigations of various extracts of Morinda lucida for antimalarial actions on Plasmodium berghei berghei in mice P

Abstract

Morinda lucida extracts, the stem hark, the root bark and the leaves were screened for antimalarial activity in a 4-day schizontocidal test' against a ehloroquine-sensitive strain of P. berghei berghei in mice. Each extract was administered as a single daily dose on days 0, I. 2 and 3 to mice that had received an intraperitoneal inoculum of 1 x l0 infected erythrocytes. Each extract produced a degree of suppression of parasitaemia. The most promising result was obtained with chromatographic fractions of the stem bark extracts, the highest dose producing 96.4% suppression of parasitaemia.