Serum biochemical changes in rabbits experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi and treated with ethanolic stem bark extract of Butyrospermum paradoxum (Sapotaceae)

Abstract

The serum biochemical changes in rabbits experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi and treated with crude ethanolic stem bark extract of Butyrospermum paradoxum (Sapotaceae) was determined. Thirty-five New Zealand rabbits were used for this study; they were divided into seven groups (A-G) of five rabbits each. Rabbits in groups (A-E) were infected each with 1.0 x 106 Trypanosoma evansi. Group A were simultaneously treated with 100 mg/kg of the extract; group B (200 mg/kg of extract) and group C (400 mg/kg of extracts) were treated for 4 days at 16 dpi (peak of parsitemia), while group D was treated with 3.5 mg/kg of Berenil® at 16 dpi, group E (infected untreated), group F (uninfected control). Group G was uninfected, but treated with extract at 400 mg/kg. There was complete clearance of parasites from the blood of rabbits in Groups B, C and D by day 26, while there was no clearance of parasite in group E. it took a minimum of 1 day and a maximum of 10 days to clear the parasites in the blood of treated groups. Infected rabbits treated with 200 mg/kg of the extract had longer clearance time for T. evansi induced parasitaemia. The enzyme activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and direct bilirubin concentration increased significantly (p<0.05) in the infected rabbits, while serum glucose significantly decreased (p<0.05). These biochemical parameters however, attained their normal pre-infection status at 40 days in the groups treated with 400mg/kg of the extract and 3.5mg/kg of Berenil®. The study shows that 400mg/kg of the extract was effective in eliminating the parasite at 19 dpi and a reversal of the biochemical parameters to normal.