Effect of Cyanocobalamin on Antioxidant Enzymes of Male Wistar Albino Rats Infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei

Edoga C O,Anukwuorji C A,Ejo J E,Nzewi J I

doi:10.13189/iid.2020.080101

Abstract

The study was undertaken to check the effects of cyanocobalamin on antioxidant enzymes of male Wistar albino rats infected with T. b. brucei. Fifty-four (54) male Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups of three rats each which were 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 control respectively. Groups D, E and F were infected with 1.0 x 106 trypanosomes and treated with 0.2mg/kg (low-dose), 0.3mg/kg (enriched-dose), and 0.4mg/kg (high-dose) body weight of vitamin B12 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 catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase concentrations. There were significant differences in the effect of cyanocobalamin on the concentrations of cardiac tissue antioxidant enzymes which were also dependent on the duration of the experiment. At post-treatment, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase levels differed significantly (p<0.05) from the negative control. There were significant reductions in the levels of catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, and rise in the SOD level as infections grow. The result, however, showed that cyanocobalamin caused a significant elevation in the catalase, glutathione reductase, reduction in the concentration of SOD and no change in the level of glutathione peroxidase following treatments with cyanocobalamin. In conclusion, there were significant reductions in the level of SOD, evidenced in an increase in the catalase and glutathione reductase levels, and no change in the glutathione peroxidase concentration following treatments with cyanocobalamin.

Highlights

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is one of the tropical diseases that are widespread in Africa (Welburn and Maudlin, 2012)
The results of the present study indicated that Trypanosoma brucei brucei caused a significant reduction in the level of antioxidant catalase in the heart tissues of Wistar albino rats (Table 1)
This observation is in agreement with the work of Matheus et al (2016) who reported a significant reduction of enzymatic activities of catalase in the heart of rats infected with T. evansi

Summary

Introduction

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is one of the tropical diseases that are widespread in Africa (Welburn and Maudlin, 2012). The diagnosis involves three steps: screening, diagnostic confirmation and staging. HAT manifests in two stages; the first (haemolymphatic) stage, where parasites are found in the blood and lymphatic tissues (Brun et al, 2010). The last (meningoencephalitic) stage is characterized by the presence of trypanosomes in the central nervous system (Brun et al, 2010). The transmission of HAT is mostly cyclical, which is dependent on the interactions of pathogenic parasites, tsetse flies, and mammalian reservoirs (WHO, 2013). Oxidative stress is a common mediator in the pathogenicity of established cardiovascular risk factors (Edwin et al, 2013). The reduced SOD level might be a result of its depletion during oxidative stress caused by T. envasi.

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Discussion

Conclusion