PENGARUH Andrographis paniculata TERHADAP KAPASITAS PRODUKSI INTERLEUKIN 12 PADA MENCIT YANG DIINOKULASI Plasmodium berghei ANKA

Abstract

Background: Malaria is a disease caused by intracellular parasite. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) acts as an important cytokine in cellular immune response required for eliminating parasite. Previous studies showed that Andrographis paniculata (A. paniculata) has a protective role during malaria infection, but there is no evidence that the protective mechanism of the herb is mediated by IL-12. Therefore, the objective of this study is to find out whether A. paniculata has an effect on IL-12 producing capacity in mice inoculated with Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) ANKA. Methods: This study was true experimental research using post test only control group design. Total sample used were 36 BALB/c mice, divided equally into treated and control groups. Treated groups were received 16.608 mg A. paniculata herb extract diluted in 0.1 ml CMC Na administered orally per day, started from 7 days pre-inoculation of P. berghei until 8 days post-inoculation (p.i.). Control group received 0.1 ml CMC-Na 0.5% in the same duration. IL-12 producing capacity was measured on day 3, 6, and 8 p.i. Data were analyzed by Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney test. Results: No significant difference in IL-12 producing capacity between treated and control group (day 3 p=0.671; day 6 p=1.000; day 8 p=0.971). The same result went for IL-12 producing capacity among days 3, 6, and 8 p.i. in both treated and control groups (p=0.872). Conclusion: A. paniculata does not significantly affect IL-12 producing capacity in BALB/c mice inoculated with P. berghei ANKA. Keywords: Interleukin-12, Plasmodium berghei ANKA, Andrographis paniculata.