In Vitro Anti-Trypanosomal Activity of Aqueous Extracts of Viscum album (Mistletoe) Leaf and Stem from Three Host Plants

In sub-Saharan Africa, trypanosomosis is a constraint on livestock production. Thus, it is imperative to develop alternative strategies since current chemotherapy is bedevilled by high cost and limited access. This study investigated the in vitro antitrypanosomal activity of aqueous extracts of Viscum album leaf and stem from three host plants namely Acacia albida, Azadirachta indica and Psidium guajava. Tail blood was collected from one of the donor rats and diluted with phosphatebuffered saline. An aliquot (2µL) containing the parasites (Trypanosoma brucei) was pipetted into the test tubes containing graded concentrations (40 mg/ml, 20 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml, 5 mg/ml, 2.5 mg/ml, 1.25 mg/ml, and 0.65 mg/ml) of the aqueous extracts and incubated at 37 0C for 15 minutes. The parasite count declined substantially with 100% clearance for A. albida leaf and stem, P. guajava stem at 10 mg/ml, P. guajava leaf at 40 mg/ml and lastly, A. indica leaf and stem. The results from the aqueous extract of V. album leaf and stem from three different host plants were comparable with Veriben®, a chemotherapeutic trypanocide.