The Mechanism of Nanocurcumin in Inhibiting Parasitemia in Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) Model Mice

Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum is the cause of malaria falciparum, the most severe type of malaria, and the only malaria parasite that can cause complications such as microvascular disease, cerebral malaria, severe anemia, shock, acute renal failure, and shortness of breath. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia has the highest incidence of malaria. The WHO estimated that in 2019, there were 658,380 malaria cases and 1,170 malariarelated deaths. Curcumin (Curcuma longa) is a spice that has been used in Southeast Asia for centuries. It contains the active ingredient curcumin (bis-α, β-unsaturated β-diketone), which has antioxidant, antiinflammatory, hepatoprotective, and antimalarial properties. However, curcumin has low water solubility and very limited bioavailability. By examining the observed phenomenon, it is possible to investigate how nanocurcumin might impact parasitemia levels in P. berghei ANKA model mice. This research involved 36 female BALB/c mice aged 7–10 weeks, divided into four groups, all of which were infected with P. berghei ANKA. After infection, the groups were treated for 2 weeks as follows: the control group (no nanocurcumin administered), treatment group I (50 mg/kg body weight [kgbw]), treatment group II (100 mg/kgbw), and treatment group III (150 mg/kgbw). The results indicated a significant difference among groups (p < 0.05, 0.036). The conclusion of this experiment is that administering nanocurcumin to mice infected with the Plasmodium parasite significantly reduces parasitemia levels in the blood, particularly at a dose of 150 mg/kgbw.