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Brillantaisia owariensis (Acanthaceae) is evident in its traditional use in the forest region of West Africa for the treatment of several ailments, including trypanosomiasis. Despite its widespread use, the plant has not been subjected to pharmacological investigations to ascertain its phytochemical profile and efficacy in folklore medicine. This study was designed to determine the phytochemical and GC-MS profile of the whole plant of B. owariensis and elucidate its pharmacological implications in managing trypanosomiasis. The plant was collected from Nigeria's South-western Forest vegetation zone. Thirty grams of the processed powder was extracted using the Soxhlet method using methanol as solvent. The phytochemical and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy analyses of the methanol extract were done. Thirty BALB/c mice were randomly allocated into six groups of five mice to test for anti-inflammatory activity. Each mouse in groups 2–6 was infected with 0.1 mL of 106 T. brucei /mL, while group 1 served as neutral non-infected control. Following the establishment of parasitaemia by three days post-infection, mice were either non-treated, treated with standard drug or treated at varying dosages of methanol extracts and sacrificed by day 9 for histopathologic evaluation. High levels of Phyto-constituents were detected, and the GC-MS profiling revealed the presence of twenty-four bioactive compounds. The extracts of B. owariensis showed ameliorative and anti-inflammatory activities on the histology of the vital organs and tissues at varying dosages. The methanol extract of B. owariensis is rich in bioactive components with promising potential in managing inflammatory diseases such as African trypanosomosis. |
