ISSN 2736-173X
Research Article
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 8 (3), pp. 001-007, March, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Polygalloyltannin isolated from the roots of Acacia nilotica Del. (Leguminoseae) is effective against Plasmodium berghei in mice
Ali A. Jigam1*, Helmina O. Akanya1, Bukar E. N. Dauda2 and J. O. Okogun3
1Malaria and Trypanosomiasis Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria.
2Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria.
3Department of Medicinal Plant Research and Traditional Medicine, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, Nigeria.
Accepted 24 October, 2019
Abstract
Crude methanolic root extracts of Acacia nilotica Del. (Leguminoseae) demonstrated significant activity against chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium berghei in mice. Purified extracts showed only a single fraction with significant antiplasmodial effects using bioguided essay techniques. The active A. nilotica isolate was highly polar dissolving readily in methanol, appeared as a single spot in different TLC conditions and was positive for tannins, melting with decomposition between 224 - 229°C. Its 1H NMR spectra exhibited large signals at S 6.90 - 7.58 and 4.70 - 5.00. The Mass spectra (ES1 - Msn) of the isolate gave a large M - 1 signal of m/z 1395 consistent with the molecular formula C62H43O38. Others at 1243, 1091, 939, 787, 635, 453 and 331 that differ by m/z 152 were accounted for by the progressive loss of a galloyl (C7H4O 4) moiety. A polygalloyltannin structure containing a central glucosyl moiety corresponding with 1, 3, 6 – digalloyl – 2, 4 monogalloyltannin was hence postulated.
Key words: Acacia nilotica, Plasmodium berghei, Bioguided assay 1H NMR spectra, polygalloyltannin.
Helmina O. Akanya, Ali A. Jigam*, Bukar E. N. Dauda and J. O. Okogun
Page: 1 - 7
Research Article
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 8 (3), pp. 001-006, March, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Anti-malarial activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Piliostigma thonningii Schum. (Caesalpiniacea) in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei berghei
A. A. Madara1*, J. A. Ajayi2, O. A. Salawu3 and A. Y. Tijani3
1Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Abuja, Nigeria.
2Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Idu Industrial Area, P. M. B. 21, Garki-Abuja, Nigeria.
Accepted 10 October, 2019
Abstract
Piliostigma thonningii Schum. (Caesalpiniacea) is used traditionally in the management of fever, cough, wounds and various ulceration. Oral acute toxicity of the ethanolic leaf extract of Piliostigma thorningii was evaluated in mice using modified Lorke’s method. The ethanolic leaf extract was evaluated for in vivo anti plasmodial activity against chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium berghei berghei NK65 in mice. Four day suppressive, curative effect against established infection and prophylactic models of anti plasmodial studies were carried out. The oral median lethal dose was determined to be 3807.89 mg/kg body weight. The extract (100,200 and 400 mg/kg) exerted dose dependent chemo suppressive effects at the different levels of the infections tested. However the anti-plasmodial effect of chloroquine at 5 mg/kg body weight was higher than the extract in all the test models. This shows that the plant has anti plasmodial property that can be explored for the management of malaria.
Key words: Piliostigma thonningii, anti plasmodial, Plasmodium berghei berghei NK65.
J. A. Ajayi, A. A. Madara*, O. A. Salawu and A. Y. Tijani
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Research Article
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 8 (3), pp. 001-005, March, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research paper
Mouse mortality from a high Plasmodium berghei inoculum density may be due to immune suppression in the host
Chika K. Onwuamah1*, Phillip U. Agomo2 and Peter G. C. Odeigah3
1Microbiology division, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, 6 Edmund Crescent, P. M. B. 2013, Yaba 101212, Lagos, Nigeria.
2Biochemistry division, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, 6 Edmund Crescent, P. M. B. 2013, Yaba 101212, Lagos, Nigeria.
3Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos.
Accepted 12 October, 2019
Abstract
Patients’ malaria parasite burden on hospital presentation has been implicated in human artemisinin monotherapy failure rather than any drug resistance- conferring genetic mutation in the infecting Plasmodium species. We investigated this observation using a mouse-Plasmodium berghei model at varying inocula abundance and monitored the pathogenesis without intervention. Three inoculums abundance levels were used: 107, 105 and 103 highly parasitized blood ( 4000 parasites/µl). All 107 inoculum mice died within 12.7 days. The 103 inoculum and the 105 inoculum mice cleared their malaria parasitaemia between days 12 - 14 and between days 34 - 36 post-inoculation respectively. The 103 inoculum and 105 inoculum mice had changes in baseline value of 1.71 and 2.02 in total white blood cells count between days 6 - 10 respectively, compared to 1.33 for the 107 inoculum mice. Monocytes counts (cells/mm3) on day 6 was 223.3, 1254 and 40.7 for the 103 inoculum, 105 inoculum and 107 inoculum mice, while 152.5, 1073 and 477.5, respectively on day 10. Immunosuppression by the parasite might be the cause of the in appropriate immune response by 107 inoculum mice.
Key words: Malaria, mice, parasite density, immune response, immune suppression.
Phillip U. Agomo and Peter G. C. Odeigah, Chika K. Onwuamah*
Page: 1 - 5
Research Article
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 8 (3), pp. 001-005, March, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
In-silico studies of multi drug resistance (MDR) genetic markers of Plasmodium species
Clarence Suh Yah1* and Segun Fatumo2
1School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa.
2Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Accepted 07 December, 2019
Abstract
Multi-drug resistance malaria species has been and still is the cause of much morbidity and mortality of malaria throughout the tropics. This epidemic has devastated large populations likewise posed a serious barrier to economic growth in developing countries. The major obstacles however, is it prevention and treatment due to emerging multi-drug resistant (MDR) species. Therefore, anti-malarial drug development needs to continue so that novel and highly effective anti-malarial can be plugged into recommended strategies and vaccine development. The sequencing of the various MDR genes of Plasmodium has contributed tremendously to the understanding of the MDR malaria parasites. The current research therefore, engaged the use of an in-silico approach to seek the strategies in analyzing as well as offering some likely solutions to malaria therapies. Four Plasmodium species: 2 from rodents (Plasmodium chabaudi and Plasmodium yoelii) and 2 from human (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum) multi drug resistance genes were compared using bioinformatics tools. The phylogenetic relationships and species identification of the MDR genes of the parasites were downloaded from web base resources and performed as confirmed by the ClustalX programs. The results showed a variation in the up/down stream algorithms alignment of their phylogenetic relationships. This therefore, showed that some resistance genes within a population may vary within the same drug. The results showed a significant difference of p < 0.001 with a 95% CI. Through these efforts, our goal was to better understand how drug resistance occurs. This knowledge therefore, will facilitate the rationale to design new effective as well as check the emerging of multi-drug resistant Plasmodium strains.
Key words: In-silico, comparison, multi drug, resistance genes, Plasmodium.
Segun Fatumo, Clarence Suh Yah*
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Review
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-005, February, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Premunition in Plasmodium falciparum malaria
R. K. Obi1*, C. C. Okangba2, F. C. Nwanebu1, U. U. Ndubuisi3 and N. M. Orji4
1Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, P.M.B. 1526, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.
2Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine, University Of Lagos, Idiaraba, Lagos, Nigeria.
3Department of Microbiology, University of Uyo, P.M.B. 1017, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
4Department of Biological Sciences, Anambra State University, Uli, P. O. Box 02, Uli, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Accepted 16 October, 2019
Abstract
Malaria parasites have evolved to maintain a well-balanced relationship with their human hosts. This implies that they can partially escape from protective effector mechanisms of their hosts, but also that hosts can develop partial immunity to the parasite. This immunity requires repeated infections, takes years to develop and is usually of short duration. However, protective immunity to clinical malaria rather than infection may be of long duration. This natural acquired immunity is called premunition since a low parasitemia mostly persists in the presence of circulating antibodies to the various stages and in the absence of clinical disease. In children who do not have circulating antibodies to the parasite, premunition is probably caused by antitoxic immunity. These poor and slowly developing immune responses to malaria are partly due to immune evasion strategies of the parasite caused by antigenic polymorphism, shedding of parts of parasite proteins, cross-reactive epitopes of antigens of different developmental stages, prolonged exposure to endemic malaria and widespread restricted immunogenicity to defined antigens. Premunition relies on the cooperation between the parasite and human antibodies, leading to the induction of antibody dependent cellular inhibition (ADCI) of the intra-erythrocytic growth of the parasite. The immunity, however, is not a sterilizing type in that the infection persists longer than the symptoms and individuals can exhibit relapses or recrudescences or become reinfected.
Key words: Intra-erythrocytic stage, parasitemia, malaria, chronic stage, human antibodies, immunity.
F. C. Nwanebu, C. C. Okangba, U. U. Ndubuisi and N. M. Orji, R. K. Obi*
Page: 1 - 5
Research Article
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-006, February, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Mutations within folate metabolising genes of Plasmodium falciparum in Cameroon
Wilfred Fon Mbacham1*, Marie-Solange Bebandoue Evehe1, Palmer Masumbe Netongo1, Innocent Mbuli Ali.1, Nfor Emmanuel Nfor3, Ateh Isabel Akaragwe2, Patrice Nsangou Mimche 1, Akindeh Nji4 and Cyrille Finyom Djoko
1The Biotechnology Center, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon, P. O. Box 8094, Yaounde, Cameroon
2Biotechnology Unit, University of Buea , Cameroon.
3Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon.
4Bota District Hospital, Limbe South West Province, Cameroon.
Accepted 20 November, 2019
Abstract
Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (S-P) still used in some parts of the country was suggested as the second line drug to amodiaquine following widespread failure of chloroquine in Cameroon in 2002. We investigated the efficacy of S-P and determined the baseline mutations on marker genes for folate metabolism (dhfr and dhps) in the forest and Guinea-Savanna ecozones of Cameroon, as a way of tracking resistance in patients aged between 0.5 and 10 years in Limbe (n=138), Nkambe (n=103), Fontem (n=100 ) and Dschang (n=93 ). Filter paper blood sample were collected prior to treatment and on clinical failure days to determine the prevalence of molecular markers of resistance and to assess the mutation rates on the folate metabolising genes by restriction fragment length polymorphism assays or dot-blot assays with 32-P labeled mutation-specific probes. Sequencing using the dideoxy- chain termination method by PCR was conducted to confirm doubtful cases. Late parasitological failure (LPF) was higher in Limbe (30.6%) compared to Nkambe 10.3% (p=0.001). The prevalence of the 437-Gly mutation though lower in Nkambe, 57.6%, than in Limbe, 60% were statistically not different (p=0.2). All genotypes with the 108N mutation also carried the 51-Ile and 59-Arg mutations. All sensitive alleles (S108) also carried the amino acids, 51-Asn and 59-Cys. S-P is no longer efficacious in Limbe and Nkambe, Cameroon for treating uncomplicated malaria in children below 10 years. Instead 437G rather than the 108 N of Plasmodium falciparum may be determinant as the marker for tracking the spread of S-P resistance in Cameroon.
Key words: Mutations, plasmodium, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, resistance, dhfr, dhps
Akindeh Nji and Cyrille Finyom Djoko, Wilfred Fon Mbacham*, Innocent Mbuli Ali, Ateh Isabel Akaragwe, Patrice Nsangou Mimche, Marie-Solange Bebandoue Evehe, Nfor Emmanuel Nfor, Palmer Masumbe Netongo
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