<i>Helietta apiculata:</i> a tropical weapon against Chagas disease

<p>The present study pretends to evaluate the <i>in vivo</i> efficacy of the crude chloroform bark extract of <i>Helietta apiculata</i>, then the activity will be compared with the reference drug, benznidazole, in acute <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> infected mice when administered by oral route. The chloroformic extract of <i>Helieta apiculata</i> was administered by oral route at 5, 10 and 50 mg/kg daily for two weeks. This study has shown a moderate efficacy of the <i>H. apiculata</i> bark extract in reducing <i>T. cruzi</i> parasitaemia in 42 to 54% after a monitoring of 60 days post-infection and when compared with control groups. Concerning mice mortality, only two only two mice died, one from the control group and the other one from the group threated with 10 mg of the chlorofom extract of <i>H. apiculata</i>, suggesting the potential of <i>H. apiculta</i> extracts as a safe and inexpensive treatment of Chagas disease.</p