National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Malaria remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in Africa, where it leads to hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. This study investigated how dietary consumption of Ficus glumosa leaves (mountain fig) influences parasite load and protein levels in Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Fresh leaves of Ficus glumosa were harvested from the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), Calabar, Nigeria. The leaves were blended and incorporated into diets at concentrations of 5g, 10g, and 20g per 100g of normal rat chow. A total of 36 mice, weighing between 23g to 35g, were acclimatized and thereafter 30 0f these mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with 0.2ml blood suspension containing 1× 107 parasitized erythrocytes of chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei (NK-65) obtained from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos. The mice were divided into six groups: groups one, two, and three received diets incorporated with 5%, 10%, and 20% of powdered Ficus glumosa leaves per 100g of rat chow respectively; group four received 5mg/kg BW of Artesunate; group five served as the negative control (parasitized but untreated); and group six served as the normal control (non-parasitized, normal diet). Results showed significant variability in mean parasite counts among the groups (p?0.05), with Group five having the highest mean parasite count (279,137.92 P/µL) and Group three the lowest (110,034.92 P/µL). Chemo-suppression rates were highest in Group three (61%), followed by Groups two and four (58%), and lowest in Group one (54%). Serum total protein levels varied, with Group four showing the highest mean level (5.8348 g/dL) and Group one the lowest (5.7635 g/dL). This indicates that Ficus glumosa may have enhanced the host’s immune system, providing a dual mechanism of action; directly targeting the parasite and boosting the host’s natural defenses. The modulation of protein levels suggests that Ficus glumosa consumption impacts both clearance and the regulation of the inflammatory response, which is critical in the pathology of malaria. However, the exact mechanisms behind these effects remain unclear and require further biochemical analyses.
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