Browsing by Author "Sunday Ojo Joseph, *Salau-deen Badir-deen Mohammed* and Abdulsalam Olalekan Funsho"

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    Evaluation Of The In Vivo Trypanocidal And Haematological Effects Of Methanolic Fruit Extract Of Tetrapleura Tetraptera In Rats Infected With Trypanosoma Brucei Brucei
    (IJCRT, 2025-10) Sunday Ojo Joseph, *Salau-deen Badir-deen Mohammed* and Abdulsalam Olalekan Funsho
    Trypanosomiasis, caused by Trypanosoma species, is a re-emerging neglected tropical disease in sub Saharan Africa, characterized by significant morbidity in humans and livestock. Existing chemotherapies are limited by toxicity, high cost, difficult administration, and emerging resistance, thus necessitating the search for safer and more affordable alternatives. Natural product research offers promising prospects, and Tetrapleura tetraptera (fruit), traditionally used in West African medicine, contains flavonoids, tannins, and other bioactive phytochemicals with potential antiparasitic properties. This study evaluated the in vivo trypanocidal efficacy, safety, and hematological effects of the methanolic fruit extract of T. tetraptera in rats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei. The fruit was authenticated, dried, powdered, and extracted with methanol to yield 10.9% w/w of the dried fruit. White albino rats (n = 6 per group) were infected intraperitoneally with 1 × 10⁵ trypanosomes in 0.2 mL and treated orally with 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg body weight of extract once daily for seven days post-infection. Diminazene aceturate (28 mg/kg, single intraperitoneal dose) served as positive control, while a negative control group received vehicle only. Parasitaemia, packed cell volume (PCV), body weight, and survival time were monitored over 30 days, and acute oral toxicity was evaluated according to OECD 423 guidelines. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, triterpenes, and phytosterols. In the infected untreated control, parasitaemia peaked at approximately 1.2 × 10⁸ trypanosomes/mL on day 7 (± SEM), whereas treatment with T. tetraptera extract at 400 mg/kg produced about 90% suppression of parasitaemia (P < 0.001) by day 7, while 200 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg resulted in approximately 65% and 40% suppression, respectively. Mean Survival Time (MST) increased progressively across treatment groups: control = 9 ± 1.2 days, 100 mg/kg = 12.5 ± 1.5 days, 200 mg/kg = 18.3 ± 2.0 days, 400 mg/kg =26.7 ± 1.8 days, with the positive control surviving beyond 30 days. PCV and body weights were better preserved in extract-treated rats compared to controls. No mortality or overt signs of toxicity were observed up to 2,000 mg/kg in acute toxicity tests, with an estimated LD50 greater than 2,000 mg/kg. The findings indicate that the methanolic fruit extract of Tetrapleura tetraptera exhibits promising dose dependent trypanocidal activity in vivo with a good safety margin, justifying further studies to isolate active compounds, elucidate mechanisms of action, and assess pharmacokinetics toward developing affordable phytomedicines for trypanosomiasis.