Research - Malaria
Antiplasmodial potential of homeopathic drugs Chelidonium and nosode against Plasmodium berghei infection.
Bagai U, Walter NS.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a major global health concern in developing regions of the world. Homeopathy, a holistic system of medicine, has a lot to offer in protecting against malaria.
METHODS: In the present study, antimalarial efficacy of combination of two homeopathic drugs Chelidonium 30 and nosode 30 has been evaluated in vivo against Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) infection using Peters 4-day test. Biochemical assays have been performed to assess the levels of hepatic and renal function biomarkers upon drug treatment using diagnostic kits.
RESULTS: The combination of the drugs demonstrated considerable in vivo antimalarial activity with chemosuppression of 91.45% on day 7. The combination also significantly (p < 0.0005) enhanced the mean survival time of mice which was calculated to be 22.5 ± 6.31 days, whereas it was 8.55 ± 0.83 days in infected control. The increase in levels of the liver function marker enzymes tested in serum of treated mice were significantly less (p < 0.0005) than those observed in infected control on day 10. The serum urea and creatinine used for assessment of renal sufficiency were slightly elevated above normal, but were statistically significant (p < 0.0005) as compared to infected control.
CONCLUSIONS: The study establishes the effectiveness of the combination against P. berghei in vivo along with the safety of the drugs to the liver and kidney functions of the host.
Source : J Complement Integr Med.
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China rubra for side-effects of quinine: a prospective, randomised study in pregnant women with malaria in Cotonou, Benin
Karine Danno, Frédéric Rerolle, Sylvie de Sigalony, Aurélie Colas, Laurence Terzan, Marie-France Bordet
Abstract
Background
In endemic areas, gestational malaria is responsible for low birth weight and maternal anaemia. Quinine is the reference treatment for acute malaria in pregnant women, irrespective of term. However, quinine administration is associated with various side-effects. We evaluated the impact of the homeopathic medicine China rubra 7CH on the side-effects of quinine used as treatment for acute malaria in pregnant women in Cotonou, Benin.
Methods
This prospective, comparative, randomised study was carried out between June and December 2007 in the Saint Jean-Baptiste Medical Centre, Cotonou. Women were included if they were >3 months pregnant and had a clinical diagnosis of malaria confirmed by a positive thick blood smear. The study population was divided into two groups: (i) patients who presented between the 1st and 15th of each month and who received China rubra 7CH plus quinine (China group); and (ii) patients who presented from the 16th to the end of each month and who received treatment with quinine only (Standard group). The aim was to compare the frequency of side-effects of quinine in the two groups until day 6 after the start of treatment. Neither the patients nor the care givers were blinded to study treatment. Statistical comparison of the two groups was carried out with an alpha risk fixed at 5%.
Results
211 women were recruited: 105 received quinine plus China rubra 7CH (China group) and 106 received quinine only (Standard group). A decrease in proportion of patients presenting with side-effects was observed in the China group from day 0 to day 6 of follow-up (53.9%–23.3%) whereas the proportion of patients with side-effects in the Standard group did not change significantly (85.9% on day 0 vs. 82.5% on day 6). Ninety-six (72.4%) patients in the China group and 103 (97.2%) in the Standard group reported at least one side-effect during follow-up (p < 0.0001). The most frequently reported side-effects were tinnitus, dizziness and asthenia.
Conclusions
This preliminary study shows the interest of China rubra 7CH in limiting the side-effects of quinine used for the treatment of acute malaria in pregnant women.
Source : Journal Homeopathy
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SEM studies on blood cells of Plasmodium berghei infected Balb/c mice treated with artesunate and homeopathic medicine China
A. Rajan and U. Bagai
Abstract
The therapeutic efficacy of antimalarial drugs and their effect on various organs in the form of surface morphological deformations can be analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Present study has been undertaken on Plasmodium berghei (NK-65), a lethal rodent malaria parasite, to monitor the morphological changes in blood cells induced by the treatment with combination of artesunate and homeopathic medicine . Combination therapy of artesunate (100 mg/kg) and China ϕ was found to be highly effective in clearing the blood stage infection of Plasmodium berghei and it also enhanced the mean survival time (28 ± 0 days) of mice. Not much morphological changes were induced on WBCs and RBCs of mice treated with combination therapy but in treated groups the number of live PMN cells was more as observed in AO/EB staining. In normal mice the mononuclear cells were both smooth surfaced and layered surfaced, whereas, polymorphonuclear cells were having finger like projections. The combination of artesunate and China was found to be very effective and did not cause any alteration on the surface of blood cells as observed in SEM.
Source : J Parasit Dis. 2011 October; 35(2): 134–139
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Antimalarial potential of homeopathic medicines against schizont maturation of Plasmodium berghei in short-term in vitro culture
Aswathy Rajan and Upma Bagai
Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
ABSTRACT
In vitro assessment of the susceptibility of Plasmodium to antimalarial drugs represents a major research breakthrough that paved the way for the understanding of the parasite, and rapid screening of the effectiveness of antimalarial drugs. In the present study, a preliminary screening of the antiplasmodial activity of the mother tincture (φ) and various potencies (6 cH, 30 cH, 200 cH) of homeopathic medicines China officinalis, Chelidonium majus and Arsenicum album was performed by means of the in vitro schizont maturation inhibition assay. Significant reduction of the growth of intra-erythrocyte stages of P. berghei was observed with decreasing dilutions of φ and the various potencies of Chin, Chel and Ars with dose-dependent effect. Maximum schizont maturation inhibition (80%) was observed with Chin φ (1:1), Chin 30 cH (1:1, 1:2) and Chel 30 cH (1:1). The standard drug chloroquine (CQ) at 10-μM concentration exhibited 95.4 ± 1.6 % inhibition of schizont maturation. Ars 30 (1:1) also exhibited strong antiplasmodial efficacy, with 75.5 ± 2.6 % of schizont inhibition. The presence of free merozoites with Ars 200 cH and weak schizont inhibition activity (40-45%) points to the ability of the parasite to survive in the given drug pressure.
Source : Int J High Dilution Res 2012; 11(41): 224-236
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Antimalarial potential of China 30 and Chelidonium 30 in combination therapy against lethal rodent malaria parasite: Plasmodium berghei.
Rajan A, Bagai U.
Abstract
Homeopathy is a therapeutic method based on the application of similia principle, utilizing ultra-low doses of medicinal substances made from natural products. The present study has been designed to evaluate the efficacy of Cinchona officinalis (Chin.) 30C and Chelidonium majus (Chel.) 30C in combination therapy against lethal murine malaria. Five groups having twelve BALB/c mice each were administered orally with 0.2 ml/mouse/day of different drugs, and their antimalarial potential was evaluated by Peter's 4-day test. The combination of Chin. 30 and Chel. 30 exhibited complete parasite clearance by the 28th day post-inoculation which was similar to the positive control [artesunate (4 mg/kg)+sulphadoxine-primethamine (1.2 mg/kg)] group. Both the groups exhibited enhanced mean survival time (MST) 28±0 days,whereas, the mice of infected control group survived up to 7.6±0.4 days only. The preventive and curative activities of the combination in comparison to the positive controls [pyrimethamine (1.2 mg/Kg) and chloroquine (20 mg/Kg), respectively] were also evaluated. The combination had a significant preventive activity (p<0.0005), with 89.2% chemosuppression which was higher than the standard drug, pyrimethamine (83.8%). It also showed a moderate curative activity with complete clearance of parasite in 50% of surviving mice, and enhancing the MST of mice up to 26.8±2.8 days. These findings point to the significant antiplasmodial efficacy of the combination of these homeopathic drugs against Plasmodium berghei.
Source : J Complement Integr Med. 2013 May 7;10(1):1-8. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2012-0016.
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Antimalarial potential of Nosode 30 and 200 against Plasmodium berghei infection in BALB/c mice
U. Bagai, A. Rajan & S. Kaur
Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Homeopathy is considered as an emerging area of alternative medicine which could be established for the global health care. One of the greatest objections to this science lies in its inability to explain the mechanism of action of the micro doses based on scientific experiments and proofs. The present study has been undertaken to screen in vivo antimalarial activity of Malaria Co Nosode 30 and Nosode 200 against Plasmodium berghei infection in BALB/c mice.
Methods: Peter’s 4-day test was used to evaluate the in vivo schizontocidal effect of Nosode 30 and Nosode 200. One month follow-up study was done to calculate the mean survival time of mice in each group. Biochemical analysis was carried out to assess the liver and kidney function tests using diagnostic kits.
Results: Nosode 30 and 200 exhibited 87.02 and 37.97% chemosuppression on Day 7 and mean survival time
(MST) of 18.5 ± 2.16 and 16.5 ± 1.37 days respectively, which were extremely statistically significant when
compared to MST of infected control (8.55 ± 0.83 days). The safety of Nosode 30 was also confirmed by the
comparable levels of ALP, SGOT, SGPT activities, concentration of bilirubin, urea and creatinine to CQ treated
group.
Conclusion: Nosode 30 possesses considerable in vivo antiplasmodial activity against P. berghei infection as
compared to Nosode 200 as evident from the chemosuppression obtained using Peter’s 4-day test. Further,
studies on the drug can be carried out to establish its antimalarial potential in monotherapy or in combination
with other homeopathic drug formulations.
Source : J Vector Borne Dis. 2012 Jun;49(2):72-7.
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