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

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.