IN VIVO ANTIPLASMODIAL ACTIVITY AND ACUTE TOXICITY OF STANDARDIZED EXTRACT OF EURYCOMA LONGIFOLIA JACK. ROOT TRADITIONALLY USED TO TREAT MALARIA

A series of studies has been conducted to prove the Eurycoma longifolia Jack. root as an antimalarial. However, the in vivo antiplasmodial activity of E. longifolia Jack. root standardized extract and its lethal dose 50% (LD50) values is unknown. In vivo antiplasmodial activity was conducted on Plasmodium berghei infected Swiss mice as malaria model with 4-day suppression methods. Sixty mice were divided into 6 groups. Five groups as treatment groups received test material with 5 various doses and one group was given distilled water as control group. Parasite growth inhibition was calculated by comparing the parasitemia at treatment groups to control group. The results showed that the LD50 value of E. longifolia Jack. root standardized extract was 6128.71 mg kg-1. Therapeutic Index was calculated as ratio of the LD50 and ED50 with results 212.95. It showed high therapeutic index which indicated that E. longifolia Jack. root standardized extract has low toxicity.