African Natural Products with Potential Anti-trypanosomal Properties: A Review

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Africa is considered to be the cradle of mankind with a rich biological and cultural diversity marked regional difference in healing practices. Natural product of Africa represents a constant interest as sources of health remedies, nutrition and cosmetic formulations. African trypanosomiasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases caused by fly-borne protozoa known as trypanosomes that affect both human and livestock with devastating consequences. Chemotherapy of African trypanosomiasis is unsatisfactory for various reasons including unacceptable toxicity, poor efficacy, undesirable route of administration and drug resistance. In this regards, the last few decades have witnessed a surfeit of investigations which have been geared to investigate the effect of common traditionally-used medicinal plants/insect in alleviating the cellular changes produced during trypanosome infection.

Major Objective: This review presents the profiles of African natural product (plants and insect) with anti-trypanosomal properties, reported in the literature.

Methodology: Literature was collected from published articles (through electronic search), thesis, Proceedings as well as book of abstract that report on the in vitro or in vivo anti-trypanosomal activity of plants, insects and their products.

Results: A total of 215 plants pecies from 82 families were found. While two herbal formulation and three insect/there product were reviewed for invivo anti-trypanosomal activity Furthermore, some of the plants were investigated for possible ameliorative effects on the trypanosome-induced pathological changes. Phyto- chemistry studies of the anti-trypanosomal plants led to the isolation of 96 specific bioactive anti-trypanosomal compounds from different parts of the plants

Conclusion: It is clear that these reviews provide strong evidence of the potential beneficial effects of phytotherapy in the traditional management of trypanosomiasis, which could be subsequently developed into a cost effective alternative medicine to complement treatment of trypanosomiasis.