Antimalarial potentials of Solanum dasyphyllum fractions against Plasmodium berghei infected mice

The leaves of Solanum dasyphyllum are commonly utilized in the management of fever in traditional medicine, yet scientific evidence supporting their antimalarial effectiveness is lacking. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant properties of solvent fractions derived from these leaves, alongside investigating antimalarial potential against Plasmodium berghei in mice. Antioxidant activity was evaluated through total phenolic content determination, DPPH radical scavenging, and Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power assay. The fractions were tested against Plasmodium berghei (NK65) in 4-day suppressive, prophylaxis, and curative models, with mice orally administered 1% Tween 80 (control), Solanum dasyphyllum hexane fraction (SdHXF), Solanum dasyphyllum dichloromethane fraction (SdDMF), Solanum dasyphyllum ethyl-acetate fraction (SdEAF), and Solanum dasyphyllum aqueous fraction (SdAQF) (each at 125 mg/kg), and chloroquine (10 mg/kg). IC 50 values were determined via linear regression analysis, and antimalarial study results were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's multiple range tests, considering significance at P value < 0.05. The SdHXF (60.4%), SdDMF (56.8%), SdEAF (86.4%), and SdAQF (94.8%) exhibited notable percentage chemosuppression compared to the control in the 4-day suppressive test. In the prophylaxis test, SdEAF (80.6%) and SdAQF (80.0%) demonstrated similar percentage chemosuppression. In the curative test, the mean survival time significantly increased in SdHXF (30.2 ± 1.3 days), SdDMF (30.8 ± 3.2 days), SdEAF (31.4 ± 2.3 days), and SdAQF (30.1 ± 2.0 days) compared to the control (10.3 ± 0.1 days). The antioxidant activity of the fractions increased with concentration; however, it was lower than that of the positive controls (gallic acid and ascorbic acid). These results suggest that the fractions possess potent antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium berghei , particularly in the mid-polar fractions, indicating the potential of the plant as a source of novel antimalarial agents.