Abstract

This study investigates the effects of leaves of Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae),commonly known as mango, in attenuating immunopathogenic infections caused byTrypanosoma spp. The crude extract is used by local folk in Africa as an ethnomedical health management remedy for parasitic diseases, including its use in malaria and trypanosomiasis. In this study, 500 mg/kg concentration of mango leaf extract was tested on rats infected with T. congolense strain of the disease trypanosomiasis to deduce the in vivo efficacy and toxicity levels of the aqueous herbal extract compared with uninfected control rats. This was done by measuring its effects on concentration of whole plasma proteins and fractionated plasma proteins, determined using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and total protein biuret assay. Results indicated that the extract showed relatively no toxic effect on the plasma proteins of rats at the 500 mg/kg concentration. Low albumin levels were observed with increased globulin level in infected-treated rats compared to infected-untreated and uninfected controls, which suggests that plasma protein synthesis may be stimulated by the mango leaf aqueous extract. Electrophoretic plasma protein patterns were similar across all groups but more distinctive in the treated groups. These results suggest that the extracts may have a palliative effect on the T. congolense - infected rats if extract is administered at the onset of infection.

Key words: Mango, Mangifera indica, trypanosomiasis, immunoglobulins.