Antioxidant Effects of Mixed Doses of Vitamins B<sub>12</sub> and E on Male Wistar Albino Rats Infected with Trypanosoma Brucei Brucei

The research was conducted to determine the antioxidant effects of the mixed doses of vitamins B12 and E on male Wistar albino rats infected with T. b. brucei. Fifty-four male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into six groups of three rats each replicated three times. The rats were marked and kept in stainless wire cages labeled A-F. Groups A, B, and C were normal, negative, and standard controls respectively. Groups D, E and F were infected with 1.0 x 106 trypanosomes and treated with 0.2 + 0.5mg/kg (low-dose), 0.3 + 2.5mg/kg (medium-dose), and 0.4 + 5.0mg/kg (high-dose) of vitamins B12 + E per body weight per day respectively. The experiment lasted for twenty-one days from the day T. b. brucei infection was established. A sample of heart tissue homogenate was collected weekly across the groups and subjected to biochemical determination of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide, reduced glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase concentrations. There were significant differences in the effect of antioxidant biomarkers which was applied to the duration of the experiment. At post-treatment, the levels of the antioxidant parameters differed significantly (p<0.05) from the negative control. There was a significant increase in the levels of nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, and reduced glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase of cardiac tissue homogenate of the experimental rats following the treatments with vitamins B12 + E. The study also showed the pathogenesis of T. b. brucei significantly raised the malondialdehyde concentration and the treatment with vitamins B12 + E decreased the trypanosome-induced elevation of the malondialdehyde level. In conclusion, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, reduced glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase levels significantly increased, while malondialdehyde concentration decreased.