Tissue Lipid Peroxidation in Trypanosoma brucei Infection: Testing the Anti-oxidant Property of Scoparia dulcis

The ability of aqueous extract of Scoparia dulcis to protect tissues of rabbits against Trypanosoma brucei-induced oxidative damage was investigated in this study. Fifteen New Zealand White rabbits divided into 3 groups of 5 animals each were used for the study. Animals in group 1 served as controls while those in groups 2 and 3 were inoculated with Trypanosoma brucei. In addition, animals in group 3 received aqueous extract of Scoparia dulcis at a daily dose of 200mg/Kg administered orally. Results obtained show that infection of rabbits with T. brucei resulted in a significant increase in oxidative stress as measured by tissue Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) in the liver and kidney, but not in the heart of infected animals. Whereas both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were significantly reduced in the liver and kidney 28 days  post-inoculation; the decrease in SOD activity in the heart was  accompanied by an increase in catalase activity in that tissue. Treatment with S. dulcis at a daily oral dose of 200mg/Kg body weight resulted in a significant protection against the trypanosome-induced oxidative stress, with a significant reduction in the level of TBARS and an improvement in both SOD and catalase levels.Key words: Trypanosoma brucei, Scoparia dulcis, Lipid peroxidation, Catalase, Superoxide dismutas

Scoparia dulcis reduces the severity of Trypanosoma bruceiinduced hyperlipidaemia in the rabbit

We investigated the effect of oral administration of the herb, Scoparia dulcis, on Trypanosoma bruceiinduced changes in plasma lipid profile in rabbits over a period of twenty eight days. Results obtained show that infection with T. brucei resulted in significant increases in plasma total cholesterol,trriacylglycerol, and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, while the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was also significantly reduced. Further comparative analysis of data revealed that these lesions were significantly less severe (

Serum total protein, albumin and globulin levels in Trypanosoma brucei-infected rabbits: Effect of orally administered Scoparia dulcis

The effect of orally administered Scoparia dulcis on Trypanosoma brucei-induced changes in serum total protein, albumin and globulin were investigated in rabbits over a period of twenty eight days. Results obtained show that infection resulted in hyperproteinaemia, hyperglobulinaemia and hypoalbuminaemia. However these lesions were less severe (p<0.05) in the infected and treated group relative to their untreated counterparts. We speculate that the herb may be involved in modulating the severity of these trypanosome associated lesions by some yet undefined mechanisms