Effects of Selected Artemisinin-Based Antimalarial Combination Therapies (Acts) On Indomethacin induced Gastric Ulcers in Wistar Rats

ABSTRACT The gastric mucosa defence mechanisms are altered counteractively by 4-aminoquinoline and artemesinin derivatives, yet these drug lines constitute artemisinin based antimalarial combination therapies (ACTs). The study was aimed at determining the gastric mucosa effects of two ACTs (artemether-lumefantrine and artesunate-amodiaquine). Specifically to determine the effect of the ACTs on induced ulcer index, antioxidative activity, lipid peroxidation and histopathologies induced by indomethacin in Wistar rats. Thirty male Wistar rats, four months old, were randomly grouped into five groups (n=6). Normal control (NC) group had no ulcers induced; negative control (NS) group had ulcers induced with indomethacin (40mg/kg per os) and treated with normal saline (I ml/kg); positive control (AT) group had ulcers induced and treated with artesunate (2mg/kg i.m). The (AA) group with ulcers induced and treated with artesunate-amodiaquine (5.6mg-15mg/kg in combination); and (AL) group had ulcers induced and treated with artemether-lumefantrine (2.3mg-27.4mg/kg in combination). Mucosal antioxidant activity and level of lipid peroxidation were determined by estimating the concentration of mucosal reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde respectively. Histopathological studies were carried out on prepared gastric mucosal microscop_ic slides. The results showed that artesunate-amodiaquine (AA) significantly increased gastric ulcer index (p