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Effect of Treatment with the Methanol Extracts of Azadirachta indica on the Sialic Acid Profiles of Plasmodium berghei Infected Mice

Abstract

The effect of Neem (Azadirachta indica) extracts (leaf and stem bark) on the sialic acid profile of Plasmodium berghei experimentally infected albino mice free from infectiionwas investigated in this study. Infected red blood cells from Plasmodium berghei-infected albino mice contains between 2 and 4 times as much sialic acid as uninfected red blood cell. The serum (free) sialic acid value was 1.45 mg/ml in the infected RBC and 0.87 mg/ml in the uninfected RBC. In all the experimental groups, the serum sialic acid and RBC-SA varied from one treatment to the other (1.13-1.40 and3.25-4.70 mg/ml) respectively. There was a significant difference (p≤0.05) between the values recorded for the treated samples when compared to the values of infected non treated mice (1.42-2.13 and 3.05- 3.71 mg/ ml) respectively. The RBC-SA values in the treated mice were significantly lower than the values recorded for the normal (non-infected) mice (4.27 and 5.21 mg/ml) respectively, but higher than the infected non treated mice. There was an increase in the serum sialic acid of the treated mice when compared to the values of normal mice which was also observed in the brain sialic acid profiles in the treated mice. The values recorded in the brain sialic acids profiles were higher than those obtained from the serum. The serum and brain free sialic acid content evaluated in survivors(treated mice) were almost normalized to the values obtained for the uninfected mice. Treatment with the neem extracts resulted in about 30 % reduction in free sialic acid release during treatments. The increase in the free sialic acid levels during infection, treatment and the subsequent decrease post-treatment suggested that the neem leaf and stem bark extracts possesses therapeutic efficacy and confers an advantage in ameliorating P. berghei infection which should be exploited in view of the global resistance of malaria parasites to mainstay anti-malarials.

Akin-Osanaiye BC, Nok AJ, Ibrahim S, Inuwa HM, Onyike E, Amlabu E and Haruna E

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