Anti-malarial Activity of Nano Tannic Acid MgO Extract Alone and Combined with Chloroquine against Plasmodium berghei

  • Alireza Naziri Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Afsaneh Motevali-Haghi Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Mehdi Nateghpour Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Mohammad Shabani Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • S. Ahmad Dehdast Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Abbas Rahimi-Foroushani Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Aram Khezri Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Zahra Farzaneh Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Nano tannic acid; Malaria; Drug discovery; Combination therapy; Mice

Abstract

Background: The global rise in malaria parasite resistance to antimalarial drugs necessitates new therapeutic strategies. Medicinal plant extracts, long used in traditional malaria treatment, have shown antiplasmodial potential in recent stud­ies. This study investigated the effects of nano tannic acid MgO (NTA MgO) and chloroquine (CQ), both individually and in combination, on a chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei strain.

Methods: BALB/c mice infected with P. berghei were divided into 11 groups. Groups were treated with NTA MgO (12.5, 25, 50, 100 mg/kg), CQ (1, 3, 10, 20 mg/kg), pure tannic acid (100 mg/kg), or assigned as controls. Peter's meth­od determined the fifty percent effective dose (ED50) for NTA MgO and CQ. Drug interactions were assessed using the fixed-ratio method (ratios: 100/0, 90/10, 70/30, 50/50, 30/70, 10/90, 0/100). Parasitemia and inhibition percentages were calculated and analysed using SPSS software.

Results: The ED50 values for CQ and NTA MgO were found to be 1.1 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, respectively. A synergistic effect was observed when a combination of 30% CQ and 70% NTA MgO was used, which significantly reduced para­sitemia compared to the control group (P< 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test). Additionally, NTA MgO administered alone at a dosage of 25 mg/kg effectively reduced the parasite load.

Conclusion: NTA MgO showed strong antiplasmodial activity both alone and with chloroquine (CQ). The 30% CQ and 70% NTA MgO combination exhibited a significant synergistic effect, highlighting its potential as a new treatment for chloroquine-sensitive malaria and the promise of plant-based nanoparticles against drug-resistant malaria.

Published
2025-05-05
Section
Articles