EFFECT OF BIOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF DETARIUM SENEGALENSIS (ROOT) AND EUCALYPTUS CAMALDULENSIS (LEAF) MIXED METHANOLIC EXTRACTS ON TRYPANOSOME BRUCEI-BRUCEI USING MICE MODEL.

Abstract

Medicinal plants are considered to be of great importance to human because they contain active constituents which can be used to treat different diseases. Methanol extracts of Detarium senegalensis(root) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (leaf) were screened for trypanocidal activity. Mice infected with Trypanosoma brucei-brucei were treated with methanol extracts of root of D. senegalensis and leaf of E. camaldulensis. The combination of the extracts in different ratios (1:1,2:1,3:1,1:0 and 0:1) were administered intraperitoneally at a combined dose level of 200mg/Kg body weight/day respectively. Parasitemia was
found to increase in all animals with a short relapse and an increase that proceeded till death, except for the ones treated with 2:1(group B) and 0:1(group E) which survived for 26days and 30days respectively. In the repeat screening with 2:1 and 0:1 doses, parasites were cleared from the blood but resurfaced two days later while treatment was on. Only animals treated with 0:1 dose survived for 19 days. This study indicates the possibility of exploiting Eucalyptus camaldulens for the treatment of Trypanosomiasis since its activity was more pronounced.