Antimalarial effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of Allium paradoxum in vitro and in vivo.

Malaria still is the most fatal parasitic disease affecting 50% of the world's population. Although annual deaths attributed to malaria has reduced, crucial importance of its prevention and treatment remains a priority for health care systems and researchers. The worldwide increase in resistance to most common antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine, their unpleasant side effects and low efficiencies persuade researchers to prioritize finding alternative drugs including herbal medication from plant roots. The present study aimed to examine in vitro and in vivo effects of hydroalcoholic extract of herbal medicinal plant, Allium paradoxum, on growth rate in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei. The cytotoxicity assay was performed for hydroalcoholic extract of A. paradoxum. The 3D7 strain of P. falciparum was cultured. The IC50 assay and enzymatic activity of lactate dehydrogenase were performed. BALB/c mice were infected with P. berghei in vivo. Toxicity and histopathological changes in the tissues of liver and kidney were also examined. The highest efficacy of A. paradoxum extract was observed at 80 μg/mL in P. falciparum culture resulting in 60.43% growth inhibition compared to control groups. The significantly highest parasite growth inhibition with 88.71% was seen in the mice infected with P. berghei when administered with 400 mg/kg extract compared to control groups. No significant changes in the liver and kidney cells were observed between experimental and control groups. The study showed that A. paradoxum extract exhibited significant antimalarial properties in vitro on P. falciparum and in vivo in mice infected with P. berghei. There was no significant toxicity in the liver and kidney of the treated mice.