Effect of Formulated Cookies from Pleurotus Pulmonarius Flour on Parasitemia Level and Hematological Indices in Plasmodium Berghei (Nk–65 Strain) Infected Mice

Abstract

A nutritious supplement that has both nutritional and therapeutic qualities is the mushroom. Malaria is a potentially fatal illness that strikes a wide range of individuals worldwide, with Nigeria having the highest incidence in Africa. It typically appears when the immune system is weakened. The antimalarial potential of cookies containing various formulations of Pleurotus Pulmonarius (10, 15, 20, and 25%) was examined in this study. It was examined how the cookies affected the mice’s weight, temperature, parasitemia level, and hematological indicators. With the exception of the normal control group, 72 albino mice weighing between 24 and 26 g were divided into 9 (n = 8) groups and infected with a standard inoculum of the chloroquine-sensitive strain NK65 Plasmodium berghei. Comparing the parasitemia levels of the infected mice fed the formulated cookies to those of the positive and negative control showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in parasitemia. Compared to animals treated with chloroquine (87.16%) and mice not treated (0.00%), the parasitemia level on the fifth day was 86.59% suppressed in the infected mice fed 25% cookies. Furthermore, compared to the untreated infected mice, the red blood cell, hemoglobin, and packed cell volume counts of the infected mice fed wheat-mushroom cookies showed a substantial (p<0.05) increase. According to this study, the bioactive chemicals in P. Pulmonarius have the ability to prevent malaria and improve the antioxidant state of the host when added to cookies.