IN VIVO AND IN VITRO INVESTIGATION ON EFFECT OF SOLVENT EXTRACT OF Phyllanthus amarus ON Trypanosoma brucei brucei INFECTED RATS AND MICE

Ujah; F.O.; Shiade G.; Eustace; B.B.; Nenge; H.P.; Ezugwu; C.H

Volume : VI, Issue : V, May - 2017

IN VIVO AND IN VITRO INVESTIGATION ON EFFECT OF SOLVENT EXTRACT OF Phyllanthus amarus ON Trypanosoma brucei brucei INFECTED RATS AND MICE

Ujah, F. O. , Shiade G. , Eustace, B. B. , Nenge, H. P. , Ezugwu, C. H

Abstract :

This study looked at the trypanocidal activity of Phyllanthus amarus (P.A) in Trypanosoma ucei ucei (T. b. b.) infected rat. Hexane and methanolic extracts of Phyllanthus amarus leaf and root were analysed in vitro for trypanocidal activity against Trypanosoma ucei ucei at a concentration of 10mg/ml. The methanolic leaf extract was strongly trypanocidal; 5mg/ml of the extract had similar trypanocidal activity with a standard drug (Diminazene aceturate), eliminating parasite motility at 5 minutes. The in-vivo activity of methanolic P.A extract showed that the immediate treatment has the most potent trypanocidal activity at (P<0.05); reducing the level of parasitaemia at day 4 when compared with the negative control. Furthermore, the effect of methanolic extract of P.A on T. b. b. infected wistar rats revealed a marked reduction in the hepatic enzymes viz ALT. C (43.18 � 4.68), D (51.38 � 3.08) and E (65.08 � 5.06) when compared with the negative control (65.80 � 1.57).ALT and ALP showed similar trend. Histological study showed an ameliorative activity of the methanolic P. amarus extract in the damaged tissues architecture especially in the hepatic cells caused by Trypanosoma ucei ucei infection. Therefore the leaf of Phyllanthus amarus should be added to the fodder of cattle and other ruminants as a curative measure against Trypanosoma ucei ucei.