PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND IN VIVO ANTITRYPANOSOMAL ACTIVITY OF METHANOL AND AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF PERISTROPHE BICALYCULATA IN MICE INFECTED WITH TRYPANOSOMA EVANSI. BY AWULU, EMMANUEL

Abstract
ABSTRACT Phytochemical analysis and the in vivo antitrypanosomal activity of methanol and aqueous extract of Peristrophe bicalyculata were carried out in mice infected with Trypanosoma evansi. A total of 90 mice were used for the study. Qualitative and quantitative tests of the methanol extracts of Peristrophe bicalyculata revealed the presence of the following secondary metabolites, oxalates (0.12mg/100g), phytates (59.5mg/100g), saponins (2%), alkaloids (15%), flavonoids (0.42%), cyanogenic glycosides (960mg/100g) while the aqueous extract revealed the presence of oxalates (0.13mg/100g), phytate (47.6mg/100g) saponins (14%), cyanogenic glycosides (1216mg/100g), alkaloids (16%) and flavonoids (0.24%). The differences in quantities were significant (P < 0.05). The LD50 for the methanol extract was 1131mg/kg body weight and 1265mg/kg body weight for the aqueous extract. Both extracts showed significant antitrypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma evansi, however, the methanol extract displayed more potency. The results of the study suggest that P. bicalyculata has potential in the treatment of trypanosomiasis caused by T. evansi. The histopathology of the liver and spleen revealed that P. bicalyculata has hepatoprotective and spleenoprotective property. - 17 - CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Information Trypanosomiasis is a complex debilitating, zoonotic protozoan disease of man and animal (WHO, 1998), which has been a major factor limiting livestock productivity in large areas of humid and sub-humid Africa (Mihret and Mano, 2007). Tsetse fly (Glossina spp.) which are responsible for the transmission of African trypanosomiasis are found between latitude 140N and 290S covering 10 million Km2 stretching across over 37 countries in Africa (Seifert, 1996; WHO, 1998; Molumba, 2003). Trypanosoma is a genus of kinetoplastids, a monophyletic group of obligate, unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. The most important trypanosome species in Nigeria are Trypanosoma brucei, T. congolense, T. vivax, and T. evansi in livestock, while T. gambiense infect human (Samdi et al., 2010). Trypanosoma evansi is responsible for a disease known as ‘surra’, and is the most widespread pathogenic trypanosome globally (Luckins, 1998; Cadioli et al., 2006). Medicinal plants have been used for centuries as remedies for human diseases and other organisms
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DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA NIGERIA.
Keywords
PHYTOCHEMICAL,, ANALYSIS,, VIVO,, ANTITRY,, PANOSOMAL,, ACTIVITY,, METHANL,, AQUEOUS,, EXTRACTS,, PERISTROPHE,, BICALYCULATA,, MICE INFECTED,, TRYPANOSOMA,, EVANSI.
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