Background/Aim: The problem of resistance of malaria parasites to available antimalarial drugs makes the development of new drugs imperative, with natural plant products providing an alternative source for discovering new drugs.To evaluate the antimalarial activity of eluted fractions of Acacia nilotica root extract and determine the phytochemicals responsible for its antimalarial activity. Methods: Crude extract of A. nilotica was eluted with gradients of solvent mixture (hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol) in multiples of 100 ml and each fraction was collected separately. Fifteen fractions were collected and fractions with similar spots and Rf values on thin layer chromatographic (TLC) plates were combined to produce 4 main fractions (F-1, F-2, F-3 and F-4) which were tested separately for anti-malarial activity using the Rane test. Changes in body weight, temperature and packed cell volume (PCV) were also recorded. Results: Fraction F-1 of A. nilotica at 50 and 100 mg/kg b/w produced significant and dose-dependent reduction in parasite count in Plasmodium berghei infected mice compared to the control, and also significantly increased the survival time of the mice compared to the control group. This fraction also ameliorated the malaria-induced anaemia by improving PCV in treated mice. Conclusion: Antimalarial activity of extract of Acacia nilotica root is probably localized in the F-1 fraction of the extract which was found to be rich in alkaloids and phenolics. Further study will provide information on the chemical properties of the active metabolites in this fraction.
Key words: acacia nilotica, antimalarial, medicinal plant, fractions.
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