Evaluation of Antimalarial Activities of the Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Artemisia persica and Artemisia spicigera Against Plasmodium berghei in Albino Mice

Malaria, a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, continues to be a major global health concern. The emergence of drug-resistant strains of Plasmodium highlights the urgent need for new antimalarial agents.

This study aimed to evaluate the antimalarial activity of hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from Artemisia persica and Artemisia spicigera against Plasmodium berghei in albino mice.

In this study, the hydroalcoholic extracts of the aerial parts of A. spicigera and A. persica were investigated for their effects on parasitemia in mice. Fifty mice were randomly divided into two categories with five groups, with each group receiving either the extract of A. spicigera, A. persica, or a control treatment.

Both extracts of A. persica and A. spicigera inhibited parasitemia on average by 75% and 83.5%, respectively. There was a significant increase in parasitemia at 150 mg/kg of A. persica compared with the negative control group on day 4 (P<0.05). Significant internment of parasitemia was illustrated at 75 mg/kg of A. spicigera in comparison to the negative control group on day 4 (P<0.05).

The findings elucidated that hydroalcoholic extracts of A. persica and A. spicigera plants have the antiplasmodial action to suppress P. berghei infection in mice.