An in vivo model to study the anti-malaric capacity of plant extracts.

An in vivo model to study the antimalaric effect of plant extracts is described. White mice (25-30 g body weight) are treated subcutaneously with 0.6 ml of the diluted extract starting seven days before P. berghei infection; treatment continues until death or for 30 days. Simultaneously 0.2 ml of the extract are applied per os starting three days before infection. In a test of the model, treated and non-treated animals differed in body weight, survival time, haematocrite, parasitemia development, and spleen or liver weight of recent dead or killed mice.