ISSN 2756-3413
African Journal of Virology Research ISSN 3421-7347 Vol. 9 (5), pp. 001-005, May, 2015. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Scoparia dulcis reduces the severity of Trypanosoma brucei-induced hyperlipidaemia in the rabbit
Orhue, N. E. J.* and Nwanze, E. A. C.
Department of Biochemistry University of Benin, P.M.B. 1154, Benin City, Nigeria.
Accepted 11 March, 2015
Abstract
We investigated the effect of oral administration of the herb, Scoparia dulcis, on Trypanosoma brucei-induced 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 (p<0.05), in the infected and treated group relative to their untreated counterparts. However, the precise mechanism underlying the plasma lipid modulating effects of the herb is still a matter of speculations.
Key words: Scoparia dulcis, Trypanosoma brucei, cholesterol, triacylglycerol lipoproteins.