Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences

Abstract
The rising occurrence of resistance of malarial parasites to antimalarial drugs makes it pressingly needful to search for more and newer possible antimalarial agents. The present study investigated the effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome ethanolic extract on the serum biochemistry and haematology profile of mice in a four-day suppressive test against experimental Plasmodium berghei infection in mice. It explored its potential as treatment for early malaria infections. Ginger rhizomes were collected, shade-dried, pulverized and then extracted using ethanol. The extract was qualitatively screened for phytoconstituents and assessed for acute toxicity. Albino mice were procured and randomly assigned to six groups, including control groups and those treated with 200, 400, 800, and 1200 mg/kg of the extract. Plasmodium berghei parasitized erythrocytes (1 × 10⁷) in volume of 0.2 ml were used to infect each of the experimental mice in the infected groups by intraperitoneal injection. Mice were treated once daily with the extracts for four days post infection. Blood samples were collected on day 5 to evaluate the percentage of parasitaemia, chemosuppression, various biochemical and hematological parameters. Results showed that ginger rhizome extract contained moderate levels (++) of alkaloids, flavonoids and steroids and mild levels (+) of terpenoids, glycosides, saponins, tannins and reducing sugars. No mortality was recorded during the acute toxicity test. Treatment doses of 800 mg/kg and 1200 mg/kg of the extract significantly reduced parasitaemia and achieved high levels of chemosuppression, comparable to the positive control treated with artesunate. The malaria infection led to elevated activity of liver enzymes in serum, decreased serum proteins and altered blood cell counts. Despite the reduction in parasitaemia, ginger rhizome extract did not exhibit any significant effect on the haematological and serum biochemical parameters assayed. It was concluded that ginger rhizome ethanolic extract at the doses of 800 and 1200 mg/kg demonstrated antimalarial properties in early infection.

Keywords: Plasmodium berghei; Ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome extract; Four-day Antimalarial suppressive test; Serum biochemistry, Haematology.

How to cite this article:
Adimonyemma RN and Ubachukwu PO (2026). Effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome ethanolic extract on the
serum biochemistry and haematology profile of mice in a four-day suppressive test against experimental Plasmodium
berghei infection. Journal ofVeterinary and Applied Sciences, 16(1): 1439 – 1457.

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