Authors

CA Otuu¹; RN Obiezue²; SS Eke³; H Usman-Yamman⁴; IC Ekuma⁵; EO Udeh⁶; AA Otuu⁷;  ¹ University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria;  ² University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria;  ³ Airforce Institute of Technology Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria;  ⁴ Newgate University Minna, Niger State, Nigeria;  ⁵ Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria;  ⁶ Center for Integrated Health Programs, Abuja, Nigeria;  ⁷ West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacy, Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria

Discussion

One of the strategies employed in malaria control and possible elimination efforts is the prevention of establishment of infection of the malaria parasite using prophylactic antimalarial drugs. This strategy has been negatively affected with the development of resistance of the malaria parasite to the currently used antimalarial drugs.  This development has increased the urgent need for new antimalarial compounds with prophylactic properties against malaria.  This study was thus carried out to evaluate the malaria prophylactic potential of bioactive compounds from extracts of Alstonia boonei, a medicinal plant used locally for malaria treatment in Nigeria and other African countries. The bioactive compounds were identified by Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometer analysis technique and then subjected to antimalarial tests to determine their prophylactic activity in mice experimentally infected with Plasmodium berghei. Results from the tests showed that bioactive compounds possess significant dose – dependent prophylactic property at p < 0.05 at the doses used. From these findings it was concluded that the plant is a potential source of prophylactic antimalarial molecules and should be further researched on for antimalarial drug development.

Keywords: Exertion, malaria, prophylaxis, bioactive constituents, drug development