The Effect of Dracocephalum Kotschyi Essential Oil on Controlling the Malaria Complications in Mice Model

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death in many developing countries. Fever, anemia, and weight loss are the most important complications, and anemia is the main cause of death in patients. In this regard, the present study investigated the effect of Dracocephalum kotschyi essential oil on the control of some malaria complications in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei acting as an in vivo model of malaria.

P. berghei strain was donated by the Institute of Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and injected into the peritoneum of Balb/c mice for proliferation and maintenance. In malaria-infected mouse groups, after treatment with different concentrations of plant essential oil and chloroquine as a positive control drug, changes in rectal temperature and weight of mice, white and red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and packed cell volume were measured and compared with the positive and negative control groups.

On the seventh day of the experiment, the mean percentage of parasite suppression in the groups which received this essential oil was significantly higher than negative control. Also, the mean number of red blood cells and the mean levels of hemoglobin, and packed cell volume were noticeably higher in the groups which received different doses of essential oil.

The essential oil of D. kotschyi can be used as an effective agent to control the complications of acute malaria.