ANTI-TRYPANOSOMA EFFECT OF METHANOL FRUIT POD EXTRACT OF ACACIA NILOTICA (Linn) IN ACUTE TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI INFECTION IN WISTAR RATS

Abstract

Chemotherapy of trypanosomosis has been adversely affected by widespread drug resistance and toxicity. Attention has now been shifted towards the search for ethnobotanical means of controlling the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of methanol extract of the fruit pod of Acacia nilolica in experimental Trypanosoma brucei infection in Wistar rats. Twenty Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups of 5 rats each. Rats in groups I to Ill were experimentally infected with an isolate of T Brucei while group V served as uninfected control. At day 2 post infection (PI), rats in groups I were orally treated with extract of fruit pod of A nilotica at a dose of 500 mg/kg for5 days while rats in group II were treated with diminazen aceturate at 3.5mg/kg subcutaneously once. Rats in group Ill served as infected untreated control. Parasitaemia, PC V and survival rates were monitored during the course of the study. Parasitaemia progressively increased in groups I and Ill but was not observed in group ll. There was decrease in PCV of rats in groups I and Ill compared to that of groups Il and IV. The deterrence observed in parasitaemia and PCV between the groups compared were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Mortality was observed in group I from day 8 PI with 2 rats (40%) surviving up to day 10 PI. All rats in group Ill died within 7 days post infection while mortalities were not recorded in groups Il and IV. It is concluded that the methanol extract of the fruit pod of A. nilotica had no Invivo trypanocidal effect at the dose of 500mg/kg, but demonstrated some ameliorative effect on the severity of the infection in Wistar rats.