DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2016.v04i09.006

Pages: 725-731

Enrichment of medicinal plants with biologically active compounds which induce various chemo-therapeutic effects has made a good turn and philosophy in the science of pharmacology. In the light of the popular notion of the use of Combretum racemosum and Euphorbia hirta as potent ethnopharmaceutical botanicals, this study was done to determine the trypanocidal activity of the ethanol leaf extracts of the plants against Trypanosoma brucei brucei which was induced in Swiss albino mice. The animals were inoculated intraperitoneally (IP) with trypanosome load of 106, and were then kept under standard conditions for 10 days to enable circulation and reproduction of the parasite within them. Parasitaemia level was detected and analysed via microscopy. Both plants proved positive by overall reduction in the mean parasitaemia level as the days progressed at concentrations of 50,100 and 200mg/kg body weight respectively. Acute toxic dose for analysis of the high dose extract toleration was also checked by a 1000mg/kg administration of the extracts, while diminazene aceturate, a standard trypanocidal drug was used as control. Combretum racemosum exhibited its best trypanocidal activity at the 200mg/kg concentration, and Euphorbia hirta was at its best at 50mg/kg. Following the administration of diminazene aceturate (control) the parasites were cleared within four days of administration. The results derived were confirmed with statistical analysis using SPSS 16 software at p<0.05, and posits the possible utilization of these extracts of Combretum racemosum and Euphorbia hirta as trypanocidal agents.