Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal activity of crude methanolic extract of Combretum racemosum leaves against Trypanosomabrucei brucei. The extract exhibited in vitro activity by immobilizing the trypanosomes and rendering them uninfective to mice at 125 to 0.2559 mg/ml. The extract also reduced parasitaemia and improved packed cell volume in infected mice at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight when administered intraperitoneally. Intraperitoneal administration of diaminazene aceturate to infected mice completely cleared the parasites from the blood. In addition, intraperitoneal administration of the extract to mice at 2,000 mg /kg body weight did not result in deaths during the acute toxicity study. This study therefore provides evidence of the ethnopharmacological use of C. racemosum in trypanosomosis.

Key words: Combretum racemosum, leaves, methanolic extract, trypanocidal activity, Trypanosoma brucei.