Alcoholic beverages, particularly beer, are widely consumed in Nigeria despite its contribution to most disability, deaths, and some non-communicable diseases. Based on unpublished reports, some individuals consume alcoholic beverages while treating malaria, which raises concerns about potential interactions between alcohol and antimalaria drugs. However, there is paucity of information on the effect of alcoholic beverage consumption on the management of malaria. Hence, this study investigated the effect of alcoholic beverage co-administered with Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) drugs on parasitaemia in an established malaria infection of albino rats infected intraperitoneally with Chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei. Different groups of the experimental animals (except the positive and negative controls) were orally administered 0.5mL of beer (5.2% alcohol) either 1 hour before, concurrently, or 1 hour after malaria treatment with 0.2 mL of selected ACT medicines. All experimental animals (except the negative control) were treated with only one of the ACTs: artemether + lumefantrine (AL), dihydroartemisinin + piperazine (DP), and artesunate + amodiaquine (AA) for three days. Parasitaemia was determined from Giemsa-stained thin blood films of experimental animals viewed under the light microscope using standard methods. Result showed that parasitaemia reduced significantly (p<0.05) in the positive control groups treated with ACT compared to other experimental groups (beer-administered and negative control). Parasitaemia also reduced significantly (p<0.05) in the beer-administered groups treated with ACT compared to the negative control. In the group of infected animals administered beer without antimalarial treatment, parasitaemia reduced significantly (p<0.05) compared to the negative control only. These findings suggest possible drug-alcohol interactions that has the potential to reduce the therapeutic efficacy of ACTs.

Keywords: Antiplasmodial, Beer, Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy (ACT), Plasmodium berghei.