Antimalaria assay of fruit extract of Morinda citrifolia and activity of mice (Mus musculus) macrophage after infecting it with Plasmodium berghei

Abstract

Abstract. Malaria is a worldwide disease. Death resulting from the disease was caused by the parasite’s resistance to malaria drugs and the immune system problem. The research aimed to know the effect of M. citrifolia fruit extract on Plasmodium berghei on mice's total red blood cells and the effect of the extract on the number of intraperitoneal macrophage phagocytosing latex after being infected by P. berghei. Three doses of fruit extract, 200, 150, 100 mg/kg BB were used in this study. Fansidar was used as a positive control, while distilled water was used as a negative control. The result of this research indicated that a dose of 200 mg/kg BB could reduce the number of parasitemia to 3.576%, dose of 150 mg/kg BB to 4.107%, and dose of 100 mg/kg BB to 13.331% on day 5, and could not reduce any number of parasitemia on the next day. Inhibition by Fansidar reached 0.201%, while distilled water did not show any inhibition activity. Different macrophage activity on phagocytosing latex was taken place. The average of macrophage activity on phagocytosing latex at dose of 200 mg/kg BB was 3.8x106 cell, at dose of 150 mg/kg BB was 2.53x106 cell/mL, while at dose 100 mg/kg BB was 1.5x106 cell/mL, and 2.43x106 cell/mL for the control. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that the number of parasitemia reduced at doses 200 and 150 mg/kg BB. However, its activity is much lower than the malaria drug of Fansidar. Macrophage activities increased at a dose of 200 mg/kg BB.