The aim of this study is pharmacochemistry of Iranian flora Artemisia sieberi and its antimalarial effects on Plasmodium berghei in vivo. This is the first application of A. sieberi for treatment of murine malaria. A. sieberi were collected at flowering stage from the Khorassan and Semnan provinces of Iran; the aerial parts were air-dried at room temperature and then powdered. The powder was macerated in methanol, filtered with Bokhner hopper and solvent was separated in rotary evaporator. Total herbal extract was subsequently processed for ether and chloroform extracts preparation. The toxicity of herbal extract was assessed on naive NMRI mice with high, average and low doses; then pathophysiological signs were assessed. Finally, the antimalarial efficacy was investigated on two groups of Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Percentage of parasitaemia and pathophysiology were also evaluated. The results of this assessment showed no toxicity even by high concentration of herbal extract. A significant reduction in percentage of parasitaemia was observed; no alterations of hepatosplenomegaly and body weight were indicated in study group. A. sieberi extracts showed antimalarial effects against murine malaria with some efficacies on reducing pathophysiology. However, there is requirement to find the major component of this herbal extract by further studies. 1. Introduction Malaria is one of the most serious and widespread diseases encountered by human. It is an infectious disease caused by the parasite Plasmodia (P.) transmitted by the female anopheles. Four identified species of this parasite exist, which cause different types of human malaria [1]. Although all the four species of malaria parasites can infect humans and cause illness, only P. falciparum is known to be potentially life threatening and some of infected persons die, usually because of delayed treatment [2]; however, annual incidence of clinically new cases and mortality rates are decreasing [3–6]. As malaria vaccines remain problematic, chemotherapy still is the most important weapon in the fight against the disease [7]. The antimalarial drugs including chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, pyrimethamine, and artemisinin are currently used in malaria treatment. Part of the reason for the failure to control malaria is the spread of resistance to first-line antimalarial drugs, cross-resistance between the limited number of drug families available, and some multidrug resistance [8]. Resistance has emerged to all classes of antimalarial drugs except artemisinin, an endoperoxide antimalarial drug derived
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