Study on Influences of the Fixed Antimalarial Combination Drug Piperaquine - Dihydroartemisinin in Mice for their Tracking Food Reflexes in Maze

This study was conducted at the Department of Malaria Therapy  Research, National Institute of Malariology - Parasitology and Entomology, between April and May, 2006. The influences of the fixed antimalarial combination drug (320 mg piperaquine phosphate (PQP) and 40 mg dihydroartemisinin (DHA), with PQP produced firstly in Vietnam) in mice’s tracking food reflexes were investigated at three different oral dose-regimens. The results showed that at the two doses of 120 mg/kg per day for 5 consecutive days (1 course) and 120 mg/kg per day for 5 consecutive days (2 courses with 5 day-interval), the combination drug changed the number of times of reflex apprenticeship (72.5 ± 25.4 and 63.3 ± 13.8, respectively, vs 68.3 ± 22.9; P > 0.05), increased the completed  time of tracking food of mice (39.2 ± 10.1 and 35.1 ± 5.5, respectively, vs 33.2 ± 8.8; P > 0.05) and increased the number of times of reflex extinguishments (3.8 ± 0.9 and 4.0 ± 1.1, respectively, vs 3.4 ± 1.2; P > 0.05). However, these indices did not change significantly among the control and study groups (P > 0.05). PQP - DHA did not affect significantly on reflex apprenticeship and extinguishment progresses at the two dose-regimens of 120 mg/kg per day for 5 consecutive days, 1 and 2 courses.

At the dose of 240 mg/kg per day for 5 consecutive days (1 course), the combination drug PQP - DHA increased insignificantly  the number of times of reflex apprenticeship (76.3 ± 23.8 vs 68.3 ± 22.9; P > 0.05), the number of times of reflex extinguishments (4.1 ± 1.7 vs 3.4 ± 1.2; P > 0.05) but significantly increased the completed  time of mice’s tracking food in maze (47.8 ± 8.9 vs 33.2 ± 8.8; P = 0.001047) between the treated and control groups. PQP - DHA inhibited mice’s nervous system at the dose-regimen of 240 mg/kg per day for 5 consecutive days (1 course).

Key words: Piperaquine, dihydroartemisinin, fixed combination antimalarial drug, tracking food reflex, maze, reflex apprenticeship, reflex extinguishment.

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