In Vitro Study of Ethanolic and Aqueous Leaf Extracts of Azadirachta indica, Moringa oleifera , and Cymbopogon citratus Against Diminazene Aceturate Resistance Strain of Trypanosoma brucei brucei

Abstract

African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by arthropod vectors causing serious threats to the lives of millions of people as well as animals, especially cattle worldwide. Plants in Nigeria are known to contain medicinal properties within a large array of their chemical structures, and many have been screened and tested against various species of trypanosomes, in the effort to find new drugs against the disease caused by the resistance strain of Trypanosoma brucei brucei to diminazene aceturate (Berenil)®, ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica, Moringa oleifera, and Cymbopogon citratus were tested in vitro at varying concentrations. The ethanolic extract of Azadirachta indica was the most effective in terms of rapid motility cessation, with an impressive 7.5-minute cessation at the highest concentration (40 mg/ml). The aqueous extract of Azadirachta indica showed moderate activity at 40 mg/ml, but no effect at lower concentrations. The aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera and Cymbopogon citratus showed minimal activity, with motility cessation only at the highest concentration in M. oleifera (10 minutes), while C. citratus exhibited no effect at any concentration. Furthermore, the ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera showed no effect at any concentration, while diminazene aceturate (Berenil), despite being a standard treatment, showed no motility cessation within the 60 minutes in this experiment. A. indica ethanolic extract showed promising results as a potent alternative or adjunctive treatment for trypanosomiasis. This research indicates that the Nigerian plants may be suitable as a starting point in searching for novel and more efficient trypanocidal molecules.