Abstract

Trichomonasis is curable when treated. However there is increasing incidence of resistance to therapeutic drugs. Solanum torvum has several ethnomedicinal applications and therefore a potential source of antiparasitic drugs. The objective of this study was to assess the therapeutic potentials of extracts of fruits of Solanum torvum against Trichomonas gallinarum. Crude methanol extract of Solanum torvum was partitioned into petroleum ether (STF₁), chloroform (STF₂), ethyl acetate (STF₃), aqueous (STF₄) and STF₅ (_precipitate) fractions. STF₁, STF₂ and STF₃ were each subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography to obtain STF_{11- 17}, STF_{21- 28} and STF_{31- 37}. The crude extract STF₀, partition fractions STF_1-5 and sub fractions STF_{11- 17}, STF_{21- 28} STF_{31- 37} were assayed for anti-trichomonal activity. The crude extract, STF₀, at 24 h and 48 h showed LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ of 386.34±17.96, 2168.31±119.43, 85.81±20.10, 324.72±17.73 (μg/mL), respectively. STF₅ (_precipitate) had LD₅₀ and LD₉₀ at 24 and 48 h as 25.84±5.12, 70.36±15.64 and 13.87±1.61, 42.94±6.20 (μg/mL), respectively. STF₁, STF₂ and STF₃ had LD₉₀ at 48h as 72.76±1.72, 119.39±3.90 and 114.54±36.08 (μg/mL) while STF₁₃, STF₁₄, STF₂₃ and STF₃₄ had corresponding values of LD₉₀ at 48h as 67.18±14.90, 88.07±4.78, 89.95±7.99 and 84.03±8.03 (μg/mL). The partition fractions STF₁, STF₂ and STF₃, the VLC sub fractions STF₁₃, STF₁₄, STF₂₃, STF₃₄ and the standard drug did not show significant difference (p>0.05) in their bioactivities. It is concluded that methanol extracts of the fruits of Solanum torvum are a potential source of drug (s) for the treatment of trichomoniasis.

Keywords:

Solanum, torvum, trichomonas vaginalis, trichomoniasis, trichomonas gallinarum,

References

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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