Histological changes in the liver following use of Brassica oleracea extract as an antitrypanosomal agent in Sprague-Dawley rats

R.E. UCHEYA¹ , J.C. IGWEH², U.S.B. ANYAEHIE², E.O. NWOSU¹ and M.L. NWEKE²

¹Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu campus (Nigeria).

²Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu campus (Nigeria).

ABSTRACT: In the present investigation, we studied the changes in the liver of Trypanosomal infected Sprague dawley rats that were treated with extracts of Brassica oleracea. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats divided randomly six equal experimental groups with two serving as control groups were used. Rats into four groups were infected with a strain of T. brucei and subsequently treated with either oral or intramuscular injections of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Brassica oleracea. The control groups consisted of a group of rats infected but not treated and another group that were uninfected but treated with intramuscular injection of aqueous extracts. The aim was to determine the safety and also substantiate reported anti-trypanosomal activities of Brassica oleracea. Our findings showed that both methanolic and aqueous extracts of Brassica oleracea attenuate liver damage due to Trypanosomasis infection thereby prolonging life of infected rats. This confirms Brassica oleracea as safe but with limited anti-trypanosomal activity. We thus recommend extracts of Brassica oleracea as a suppressant of Trypanasomiasis which can be a useful adjunct to therapy.

KEYWORDS: Brassica oleracea; liver; Trypanosomes; Sprague-dawley rats

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