Comparison of antimalarial activity of Artemisia turanica extract with current drugs in vivo.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare antimalarial activity of Artemisia turanica Krasch as Iranian flora with current antimalarial drugs against Plasmodium berghei in vivo in mice. METHODS Air-dried aerial parts of Iranian flora A. turanica were collected from Khorasan, northeastern Iran, extracted with Et2O/MeOH/Petrol and defatted. Toxicity of herbal extracts was assessed on male NMRI mice, and their antimalarial efficacy was compared with antimalarial drugs [artemether, chloroquine and sulfadoxinepyrimethamine (Fansidar)] on infected P. berghei animals. All the groups were investigated for parasitaemia, body weight, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and anemia. The significance of differences was determined by Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) and Student's t-test using Graph Pad Prism software. RESULTS The inhibitory effects of A. turanica extract on early decline of P. berghei parasitaemia highlights its antimalarial activity, however, this effect no longer can be observed in the late infection. This may be due to the metabolic process of A. turanica crude extract by mice and reduction of its concentration in the body. Crude extract of A. turanica represented its antisymptomatic effects by stabilization of body, liver and spleen weights. CONCLUSION This study confirmed antimalarial effects of A. turanica extracts against murine malaria in vivo during early infection, however, there are more benefits on pathophysiological symptoms by this medication.