Effect of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Leaf Extract on Hemoglobin Levels in Mice with Experimental Malaria

Abstract

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium spp. and remains a major public health problem in tropical regions, including Indonesia. One of the clinical manifestations of malaria is anemia resulting from hemolysis, which leads to decreased hemoglobin levels. Although artemisinin-based combination therapy remains the first-line treatment for malaria, the emergence of drug resistance has prompted the search for alternative therapies to prevent malaria-associated anemia. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. leaf extract on hemoglobin levels in malaria model mice. A true experimental study with a pretest-posttest with control group design was conducted using 40 mice randomly assigned to eight groups: a negative control (DMSO), an extract control (400 mg/kgBW), a malaria control (Plasmodium berghei), and five treatment groups infected with P. berghei and administered F. vulgare leaf extract at doses of 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kgBW. Hemoglobin levels were measured every 24 hours for five days using a hemoglobinometer. Data were analyzed using the Friedman test after the normality test indicated a non-normal distribution (p<0.05) and the homogeneity test showed homogeneous data (p>0.05). The analysis revealed no significant effect of F. vulgare leaf extract on hemoglobin levels in malaria model mice (p=0.216). In conclusion, Foeniculum vulgare Mill. leaf extract did not affect hemoglobin levels in malaria model mice.