%0 Journal Article
%T Antimalarial potential of homeopathic medicines against schizont maturation of Plasmodium berghei in short-term in vitro culture
%A Aswathy Rajan
%A Upma Bagai
%J International Journal of High Dilution Research
%D 2012
%I Universidade Estadual Paulista
%X In vitro assessment of antimalarial drug susceptibility of Plasmodium has been a major research success, which has paved the way for the understanding of parasite and rapid screening of antimalarial drugs for their effectiveness. In the present study a preliminary screening to check the antiplasmodial activity of mother tincture ( ) and various potencies (6C, 30C, 200C) of homeopathic medicines Cinchona officinalis/china (Chin.), Chelidonium majus (Chel.) and Arsenicum album (Ars.) were done by assessing the in vitro schizont maturation inhibition assay. A significant reduction in the growth of intraerythrocytic stages of P. berghei was observed with decreasing dilution of   and various potencies of Chin., Chel. and Ars. exhibiting a dose dependent effect. Maximum schizont maturation inhibition was observed by Chin.   (1:1), Chin. 30 (1:1, 1:2) and Chel. 30 (1:1) i.e. 80%. The standard drug CQ at 10 ¦ÌM concentration exhibited 95.4¡À1.6% inhibition of schizont maturation. Ars. 30 (1:1) also have been found to possess strong antiplasmodial efficacy with 75.5¡À2.6% schizont inhibition. The presence of free merozoites in Ars. 200 with weak schizonticidal inhibition activity (40-45%) also pointed towards the ability of parasite to survive in the given drug pressure.
%K Cinchona officinalis
%K Chelidonium majus
%K Arsenicum album
%K Homeopathy
%K Plasmodium berghei
%U http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/620