Synergistic Interaction of Chloroquine with Artemisia kopetdaghensis Semipolar Extract Against Plasmodium berghei: Histopathological and Immunological Studies in a Mouse Model

Abstract

Background: Malaria parasites have gradually developed resistance to commonly used antimalarial drugs. For decades,chloroquine was the most widely used drug to eradicate malaria. However, with the spread of chloroquine resistance, manycountries have adopted combination therapies that utilize two drugs acting synergistically instead of monotherapy. In thisstudy, the synergistic effect of chloroquine and the semipolar extract of Artemisia kopetdaghensis. Semipolar extract (SPE) wasinvestigated in vivo through pathological and parasitological studies on mouse model.Methods: Sixty female Balb/c mice infected with the Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) parasite were treated with differentconcentrations of the semipolar extract of Artemisia kopetdaghensis (SPE) according to the protocol. The mean percentage ofparasitemia, the mean survival time of the mice, the serum levels of IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-17, and TGF-beta, and the effects of the SPE on thekidney, spleen, and liver tissues were investigated and compared across different treatment groups. The data were analyzedusing Bonferroni, ANOVA, and Tukey tests.Results: The semipolar extract of Artemisia kopetdaghensis (SPE) demonstrated better therapeutic effects in both synergistic andmonotherapy conditions compared to chloroquine alone. The combination of chloroquine and SPE resulted in the lowestparasitemia rate, the highest percentage of parasite inhibition, and the longest average survival time. Pathological studiesshowed no signs of acute toxicity in the organs.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that using chloroquine in combination with Artemisia kopetdaghensis semipolar extracthas synergistic effects in reducing parasitemia, enhancing the inhibitory effect on parasite growth and reproduction, andbalancing the host immune system