Abstract

Orhue, N. E. J.* and Nwanze, E. A. C.

We investigated the effect of oral administration of the herb, Scoparia dulcis, on Trypanosoma bruceiinduced changes in plasma lipid profile in rabbits over a period of twenty eight days. Results obtained show that infection with T. brucei resulted in significant increases in plasma total cholesterol, trriacylglycerol, and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, while the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) -cholesterol was also significantly reduced. Further comparative analysis of data revealed that these lesions were significantly less severe (p<0.05), in the infected and treated group relative to their untreated counterparts. However, the precise mechanism underlying the plasma lipid modulating effects of the herb is still a matter of speculations.