Assessment of the immunomodulatory activity of Artavol® aqueous extract in Plasmodium berghei infected mice

Abstract

ARTAVOL® is an herbal product derived from de-artemisinised extracts of Artemisia annua combined with lemon grass extract and avocado seed powder as a base locally used in Uganda for malaria prevention. This study assessed the immunomodulatory activity of the aqueous extract of Artavol® in Plasmodium berghei infected mice. The immunomodulatory activity of the aqueous extract of Artavol® was evaluated on Chloroquine-sensitive P. berghei ANKA-infected mice using 7 days’ test at 15, 30, and 60 bmg/kg with Pyrimethamine (1.25 mg/kg) as positive control; and distilled water as negative controls. Seven days’ post – infection, mice were euthanized and the spleen collected from each mouse under sterile conditions. Phenotypic and functional characterization was T-cell surface and intracellular markers was done by CytofleX LX flow Cytometer, and the data obtained were analyzed using FlowJo version 10.7.1 software. All the extracts (15-60 mg/kg) doses showed a significant increase in the frequency of monocytes (p=0.0078, p=0.0084, and p<0.0001, respectively) compared to the negative control. The extract at 30 and 60 mg/kg showed a gradual significant increase (p<0.0001 and p< 0.0001, respectively) in the frequency of natural killer cells (NK cells) compared to the negative control. The aqueous extract of ARTAVOL® possesses variable immunomodulatory effects and showed ability to increase the frequency of monocytes and natural killer cells. IFN-γ and TNF-α levels showed a significant increase suggesting the extract induced their responses.