RESUMO
The effects of Thonningea sanguinea Vahl. root extracts were tested against Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium chabaudi, acetic acid induced abdominal constriction and egg albumin induced paw oedema in rodents. Eighteen mice assigned to 3 groups of 6 animals each were infected with P. berghei (NK 65 chloroquine sensitive strain). Group I was treated with 300 mg/kg bw T. sanguinea, group II with 5mg/kg bw chloroquine phosphate (standard) and group III with 20ml/kg bw normal saline (control). Another set of eighteen mice were also inoculated with P. chabaudi and treated similarly. P. berghei was significantly suppressed by the extract over the time course of the study with mice survival periods of 36, 20 and 16 days for chloroquine, plant extract and normal saline treatments respectively. T. sanguinea produced some initial suppression of parasites but subsequently resurgence in parasitaemia was observed in the case of P. chabaudi infected animals. Mice survival periods with the later were 24 days (CQ), 22 days (extract) and 10 days (normal saline). Whole body weights significantly decreased in P. chabaudi but not P. berghei infected mice. Packed Cell Volume significantly (p<0.05) decreased with both models irrespective of the treatments. The extract had a minimal (10.89%) analgesic effect and had no anti-inflammatory activity. T. sanguinea though effective only in the P. berghei model could still be further investigated.