Abstract
Malaria is still one of the most devastating infectious diseases in the tropics. The present study aims to investigate the protective role of pomegranate peel extract against Plasmodium chabaudi-induced spleen tissue damage in mice Animals were divided into three groups. Group I served as a vehicle control. Group II and group 111 were infected with 10(6) P. chabaudi-infected erythrocytes. Group III was gavaged with 100 mu l of ma mg/kg pomegranate peel extract for 6 days. All mice were sacrificed at day 6 post-infection. Treated mice with pomegranate significantly showed approximately 50% reduction in parasitemia compared to untreated control. Infection also induced a weight loss. Histochemical studies revealed that infection caused a decrease in both carbohydrates and protein contents in the spleen. Pomegranate could improve these altered changes. Based on these results, it is concluded that pomegranate peel could offer protection against splenic tissue damage.