Current
artemisinin-based combination
therapy (
ACT) regimen for the treatment of
malaria is effective, but cases of
malaria parasite's resistance to existing
antimalarial drugs is worrisome. This necessitates the development of new, safe, effective and affordable
chemotherapy. We describe protocols for each step involved in the Anti-Plasmodial evaluation of Calotropis procera
latex in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. The protocols include: (1) determination of the chemical/
phytochemical constituents of Calotropis procera
latex, (2) determination of the acute toxicity/ median lethal dose (LD50) and therapeutic dose of the plant
latex, in vivo, and (3) in vivo determination of the Anti-Plasmodial potential of Calotropis procera
latex in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. We likewise describe our methodology for direct quantitation of percentage yield of the extract of Calotropis procera
latex, and the statistical methodology for assessment of toxicity and efficacy in evaluating the Anti-Plasmodial activity of the plant.•Multi-step pipeline for the extraction of the bioactive constituents of the plant
latex using 0.2M
phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and cold
acetone.•Detailed protocols for the determination of acute toxicity/ median lethal dose (LD50) and calculation of therapeutic dose for
intraperitoneal injection to achieve effective dose levels.•Determination of the
phytochemical constituents using standard procedures, and in vivo efficacy against Plasmodium berghei using methodology to directly quantify the parasite level
after treatment.