Skip to main content
Download PDF

In vitro trypanocidal activity of extracts and compounds isolated from Vitellaria paradoxa

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies volume 23, Article number: 346 (2023) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Vitellaria paradoxa is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases in tropical countries; however, nothing is known about its anti-trypanosomal activity. Human African trypanosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of Sub-Saharan Africa’s poorest rural regions, and the efficacy of its treatment remains a challenge. This study investigates the as-yet-unknown trypanocidal activity of this plant.

Methods

V. paradoxa, commonly known as shea tree, was selected for study based on an ethnobotanical investigation. Ultrasonicated extracts from bark and seeds were successively treated with ethyl acetate and water. Column chromatography, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry were used to identify isolated compounds. Purified trypanosomes (Trypanosoma brucei brucei) were incubated with serial dilutions of the extracts and isolated compounds at 37 °C in 5% CO2 for 24 h. Parasite viability was evaluated under a microscope.

Results

The ethyl acetate extracts of the bark showed the higher in vitro trypanocidal activity against T. brucei brucei with median inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 3.25 µg/mL. However, the triterpene 1α,2β,3β,19α-tretrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid and the pentadecanoic acid isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the seeds showed in vitro trypanocidal activity with IC50 of 11.30 and 70.1 µM, respectively.

Conclusion

The results obtained contribute to the validation of the traditional medicinal use of V. paradoxa. Our results encourage further investigations of this plant, mainly with respect to its in vivo efficacy and toxicity.

Peer Review reports

Background

The pharmacological properties of plants used for medicinal purposes for centuries have been confirmed for several diseases [1, 2]. Various plants used in traditional medicine have led to numerous medicine discoveries [3]. These plants represent a rich and largely unknown supply of traditional medication and a bioresource for drugs that merit exploration. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined medicinal plants as plants containing properties or compounds that can be used in therapy or those that synthesize metabolites to produce drugs and or exert beneficial pharmacological effects on the human or animal body [4, 5].

The WHO affirms that 65 to 80% of the population in developing countries currently use medicinal plants, and mostly in the poorest regions of Sub-Saharan Africa [6, 7]. According to the WHO, about 21,000 plant species have the potential for use as medicinal plants [8, 9]. The people living in rural communities are those who rely the most on traditional medicine for health care [10].

Rural populations are exposed to neglected tropical diseases, including human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness [11]. This crippling — and potentially fatal disease in the absence of adequate treatment — is still prevalent in Africa, especially in areas of ongoing conflict [12]. However, problems in diagnosis and difficulties in treatments, including safety, administration, toxicity, drug resistance and lost efficacy, drive the need to investigate new anti-trypanosomal agents [13]. The treatment of trypanosomiasis remains a challenge for disease control; therefore, the discovery and development of new therapeutic options are becoming an important priority, especially given that HAT is a neglected disease. In the interest of managing this disease, the use of V. paradoxa associated with other plants in HAT treatment may be justified and traditional knowledge must be preserved. During an ethnobotanical investigation in the northern Central African Republic (CAR) on traditional treatments for trypanosomiasis, Vitellaria paradoxa, commonly known as shea tree, was as one of the most important medicinal plants used in the preparation of condiments or decoctions or infusions, and was ranked the most important medicinal plant used for this illness.

Vitellaria paradoxa, family Sapotaceae, is an important plant species, mainly distributed in West and Central Africa [14]. It is used for its economic interest in the cosmetic industry and for traditional medicine. This plant possesses various features including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antibacterial properties, but its anti-parasite activity has rarely been investigated [15,16,17]. Several biomolecules and metabolic derivatives habouring these different properties have been identified and isolated in its extracts [17].

In this study, we highlighted the role of V. paradoxa in the traditional medicine practiced in the Batangafo area and tested the in vitro trypanocidal activity of V. paradoxa extracts, fractions and isolated compounds.

Materials and methods

Materials

Ethnobotanical investigation

Ethnobotanical indices (e.g., Relative Frequency of Citation and Informant Consensus Factor) were used for the selection of the plant. Vitellaria paradoxa was selected during an ethnobotanical investigation in Batangafo, located in the Ouham province of the CAR, between October 2016 and July 2018. Its anti-trypanosomal activity, mainly in association with other plant extracts, was frequently reported by traditional medicine practitioners and patients living in HAT endemic areas. Plant samples were identified by Pr Olga Yongo, botanist and Director of Center of Study and Research on Traditional African Medicine and Pharmacopoeia (CSRTAMP) at the University of Bangui. The bark and seeds of V. paradoxa were collected in this area and transferred to Bangui. A voucher specimen was deposited in the herbarium of CSRTAMP under number No. 054/UB/CER/D.16.

Parasite

The Antat 1.1.E. clone of T. brucei brucei, originally obtained from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Antwerp, Belgium) and regularly maintened in the Laboratory of Parasitology of the University of Bordeaux, was used in all the experiments. Frozen parasite vials have been provided by the University of Bordeaux at the Laboratory of Parasitology of the Pasteur Institute of Bangui. After rapid thawings, parasites were cultured three days before use in this study [18, 19]. This experiment did not require the use of animals.

Preparation of plant samples

The plant samples (bark and seeds) were air-dried and ground to fine powders for extraction. Extracts were obtained using ultrasonication and by successively adding analytical grade ethyl acetate and water.

Methods

Isolation and characterization of compounds

About 1.6 kg of powdered stem bark or seeds was extracted successively by sonication with ethyl acetate and water. Fractionation, or separation, purification, and isolation using the methods described by Eyong et al., 2015, Eyong et al., 2018 and Bairy, 2022 [16, 20, 21].

In vitro trypanocidal activity assay

The assays were performed according to the procedures previously described [22]. RPMI 1640 growth medium (Eurobio, France) with L-glutamate supplemented with 100 U/mL penicillin, 100 mg/mL streptomycin (Eurobio, France), 25 mM HEPES, 2 mM sodium pyruvate and 10% fetal bovine serum (Dutscher S.A.) was used to test the standard control, plant extracts and compounds. Appropriate dilutions of extracts and compounds (0.5 to 100 µg/mL) were added (100 µL per well) to 96-well tissue culture plates (Falcon, Becton Dickson Labware Europe).

A suspension of 105 purified parasites was then added into each well (100 µL per well) and incubated at 37 °C in 5% CO2 for 24 h. The percentage of dead parasites was evaluated by the loss of mobility, considered a characteristic of trypanosome death [23], as observed under a light microscopy at a magnification of X400 (Wilovert Wetzlar A816E, Germany). Pentacarinat (Sanofi Aventis France) was used as the trypanocidal positive control. Activity was expressed in terms of the median inhibitory concentration inhibiting parasite growth by 50% (IC50) for each concentration extract and fraction. The mean and standard deviation of IC50 were obtained from six repeats.

Some extracts and isolated compounds were poorly solubilized or only solubilized in acetone, a toxic solvent for trypanosomes, and were not used for the in vitro activity test.

Results

Seven plants were identified from the ethnobotanical survey as being used against HAT. They were Morinda lucida, Khaya senegalensis, Vitellaria paradoxa and Xylopia aethiopica with relatively high ethnobotanical indices. Ricinodendron heudelotii, Calancoba welwitchii and Terminalia glaucescens presented the lower ethnobotanical indices. However, in previous studies, in vitro antitrypanosomal activity of the extracts and the isolated compounds of Morinda lucida and Khaya senegalensis have been demonstrated [24, 25] as well as that of. Xylopia aethiopica [26].

In this study, we assessed the in vitro effects of four extracts and four compounds isolated from V. paradoxa on T. brucei brucei viability. The extracts and isolated compounds had varying degrees of trypanocidal activity. The in vitro screening results for the four extracts indicated that ethyl acetate extract (IC50 = 3.25 µg/mL) and aqueous extract (IC50 = 19 µg/mL) from the bark showed potential trypanocidal activity, while the ethyl acetate extract (IC50 = 25.0 µg/mL) and aqueous extract (IC50 = 36.2 µg/mL) of the seeds showed moderate trypanocidal activity., (Table 1).

Table 1 In vitro trypanocidal activity of extracts of V. paradoxa
Full size table

Ethyl acetate extracts from bark were fractionated and purified to isolate several compounds, which were characterized as cyclitol (3) and 1α,2β,3β,19α-tretrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (6), possessing trypanocidal activity with IC50 values of 11.30 and 56.98 µM, respectively (Table 2). The pentadecanoic acid (2) isolate of ethyl acetate seed extracts showed an IC50 value of 70.13 µM. Several other compounds were isolated and identified in the ethyl acetate extract, such as betulinic acid (1), 3 β-actoxy-1 α, 2 β, 19 α-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (4) and 2 β, 3β, 19α-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (7), all belonging to the triterpene class of compounds and other compounds such as ethyl-3β-(cinnamoyloxy)-11-methoxy-urs-11,12-enoate ester (5), 3,4-dihydro-2-(3’,5’-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-chromene-3,5,7-triol (8) or epicatechin (polyphenol), 3,4-dihydro-2-(3’,4’-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-chromene-3,5,7-triol or catechin (9) (flavonoids) (Fig. 1).

Table 2 In vitro trypanocidal activity of the compounds isolated of extract
Full size table
Fig. 1
figure 1

Structures of isolated compounds : Betulinic acid (1), Pentadecanoic acid (2), Cyclitol or cyclohexan-1,2,3,4,5-pentanol (3), 3β-acetoxy-1α,2β,19α-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (4), ethyl3β-(cinnamoyloxy)-11-methoxy-urs-11,12-enoate ester (5), 1α,2β,3β,19α-tretrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (6), 2β,3β,19α-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (7), 3,4-dihydro-2-(3’,5’-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-chromene-3,5,7-triol or epicatechin (8), 3,4-dihydro-2-(3’,4’-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-chromene-3,5,7-triol or catechin (9), 2,3-dihydroflavonol or (2R, 3 S)-dihydrokaempferol (10)

Full size image

Discussion

This study mainly focused on the trypanocidal activity of V. paradoxa, selected during an ethnobotanical survey, because it was described as being used in association with other plants to treat trypanosomiasis cases.

A Beninese study on an inventory of traditional recipes used by farmers in the treatment of various pathologies that limit milk production of cows reported that the decoction of V. paradoxa bark, associated with Khaya senegalensis, Pseudocedrela kotschyi, Parkia biglobosa and Afzelia africana is used to treat animal trypanosomiasis [27]. An in-vivo study in Nigeria, has shown that Tithonia diversolia and Vernonia glaberrima are a potential source of strong anti-T. brucei agents [28]. Another study reported the maceration of bark of V. paradoxa associated with Bombax costatum for treating gastrointestinal diseases and in parasitic diseases in cows [29]. Here, the ethyl acetate extracts of bark, triterpenes and pentadecanoic acid were active against T. brucei brucei. Trypanocidal activity was higher in ethyl acetate extracts than in the isolated triterpenes. Ethyl acetate extracts may involve synergy between several compounds.

Previous studies reported that Vitellaria paradoxa seeds, leave, bark, and root extracts are composed of several classes of compounds according to extraction solvent [30,31,32,33]. A previous study reported that bark of V. paradoxa ethyl acetate extract afforded ten pure triterpenoids including the previously undescribed natural products ursaldehyde cinnamate and 11-hydroxy-β-amyrin cinnamate [32]. Additionally, a study showed that shea nut extracts are composed of triterpene alcohol fractions, such as α-amyrin, β-amyrin, lupeol, and butyrospermol [16, 34, 35]. Chromatography screening of the dichloromethane extract of V. paradoxa leaves revealed the presence of pentacyclic triterpenic acids among which: Corosolic, maslinic, and tormentic coumaroyl esters and their corresponding triterpenic acids and one isolated triterpenic ester mixture in equilibrium, 3-O-p-E/Z-coumaroyltormentic acids, showed an attractive promising antitrypanosomal activity [36].

The chemical composition of ethyl acetate extract of V. paradoxa, rich in terpenes, is similar atto the chemical composition of Tithonia diversifolia, rich in sesquiterpenes, which also proved to have in vitro trypanocidal activity [37]. A Kenyan study also showed that sesquiterpene lactones from Vernonia cinerascens exert anti-trypanosomal activity in vitro [38]. Similarly, a study on six limonoids, phytochemicals from the triterpenoid class of compounds, reports their anti-trypanosomal activity in vitro against T. brucei brucei [39].

Our findings therefore add to the list of the antiparasitic activities of V. paradoxa and other plants used against T. brucei. In addition, V. paradoxa possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant proprieties, demonstrated in several studies [15, 16]. These properties may also justify its use in traditional medicine for the treatment of HAT, because excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine production is a hallmark of HAT [40], and increased levels of inflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, are correlated with HAT disease severity [41, 42]. However, current drugs used in trypanosomosis (pentamidine, eflornithine, nifurtimox, and fexinidazole) were alkaloid-like structures. Therefore, the research on the trypanocidal activity of the terpenoids will contribute to the discovery a new therapeutic target and the improvement of treatment.

Conclusion

Our results contribute to the validation of the traditional use of V. paradoxa and tested in vitro plant extracts for trypanocidal activity for the first time. They corroborate its ethnopharmacological use and add to the list of the medicinal properties of this species. These findings encourage further investigations on this plant, mainly for its in vivo efficacy and toxicity. These extracts and fractions may be a novel source for the development of new anti-trypanosomal candidates, alone or in association with other molecules.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets supporting the results of this article are included within the article. However, the raw data used for analysis is contained in supplementary materials.

References

  1. Mishra AP, Sharifi-Rad M, Shariati MA, Mabkhot YN, Al-Showiman SS, Rauf A, Salehi B, Župunski M, Sharifi-Rad M, Gusain P. Bioactive compounds and health benefits of edible Rumex species-A review. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2018;64:27–34. https://doi.org/10.14715/cmb/2018.64.8.5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Sharifi-Rad M, Fokou PVT, Sharopov F, Martorell M, Ademiluyi AO, Rajkovic J, Salehi B, Martins N, Iriti M, Sharifi-Rad J. Antiulcer agents: from plant extracts to phytochemicals in healing promotion. Molecules. 2018;23: 1751.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Abbott RB, Hui KK, Hays RD, Mandel J, Goldstein M, Winegarden B, Glaser D, Brunton L. Medical student attitudes toward complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine. 2010;195:2011.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Cengiz Mordeniz. Introductory Chapter: Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Cengiz Mordeniz, IntechOpen, 2019, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86373. Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/books/traditional-and-complementary-medicine/introductory-chapter-traditional-and-complementary-medicine. December 11th.

  5. Mandal SC, Mandal V, Konishi T. Natural Products and Drug Discovery and integrated Approach. Elsevier; 2018.

  6. World Health Organization. The World Traditional Medicines Situation, in traditional medicines: Global Situation, Issues and Challenges. Geneva. 2011;3:1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Jansen O, Angenot L, Tits M, Nicolas JP, De Mol P, Nikiéma J-B, Frédérich M. Evaluation of 13 selected medicinal plants from Burkina Faso for their antiplasmodial properties. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010;130:143–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2010.04.032.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants. WHO. 2009;4. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/42052.

  9. Kumar Patra J, Das G, Kumar S, Thatoi H. (Eds.). Ethnophamacology and Biodiversity of Medicinal plants (1st ed.). Apple Academic Press; 2019. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429398193.

  10. Roberson E. Nature’s pharmacy, our treasure chest: why we must conserve our natural heritage, a native plant conservation campaign report. 2008. 16 p.

  11. Tshimungu K, Okenge LN, Mukeba JN, Kande VB, De Mol P. Epidemiological, clinical and sociodemographic charateristics of human african trypanosomiasis(HAT) in and around Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Sante. 2009;19(2):73–80.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Tong J, Valverde O, Mahoudeau C, Yun O, Chappuis F. Challenges of controlling sleeping sickness in areas of violent conflict: experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Confl Health. 2011;5: 7.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Peter Babokhov, Adekunle O, Sanyaolu WA, Oyibo, Adetayo F, Fagbenro-Beyioku C, Iriemenam. A current analysis of chemotherapy strategies for the treatment of human african trypanosomiasis. Pathog Glob Health. 2013;107(5):242–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Eller DT-DF. Kai Jensen, Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn.) At the crossroads: current knowledge and research gaps. Agroforest Syst. 2018;92:1353–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Emmanuel Talla. Jean Noël Nyemb, Alembert Tchinda Tiabou, Sandrine Gael Zambou Djou, Pierre Biyanzi, Laurent Sophie, Luce Vander Elst and Joseph Mbafor Tanyi. Antioxidant Activity and a New Ursane-type Triterpene from Vitellaria paradoxa (Sapotaceae) Stem Barks. EJMP. 2016;16(3):1–20. https://doi.org/10.9734/EJMP/2016/28847.

  16. Eyong KO, Foyet HS, Baïrys G, Ngosong Folefoc G, Acha Asongalem E, Lagojda A, Lamshöft M. A new ursane triterpenoic acid and other potential anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic constituents from EtOAc extracts of Vitellaria paradoxa stem bark. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;174:277–86.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Fodouop SP, Tala SD, Keilah LP, Kodjio N, Yemele MD, Kamdje Nwabo AH, Nji-Kah B, Tchoumboue J, Gatsing D. Effects of Vitellaria paradoxa (C.F. Gaertn.) Aqueous leaf extract administration on Salmonella typhimurium-infected rats. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017;17(1):160.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Vincendeau P, Daëron M, Daulouede S. Identification of antibody classes and fc receptors responsible for phagocytosis of Trypanosoma musculi by mouse macrophages. Infect Immun. 1986;53(3):600–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Vincendeau P, Daëron M. Trypanosoma musculi co-express several receptors binding rodent IgM, IgE, and IgG subclasses. J Immunol. 1989;142(5):1702–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kenneth O, Eyong G, Bairy AA, Eno J, Taube KG, Hull GN, Folefoc, Harquin S, Foyet. Daniel Romo, Triterpenoids from the stem bark of Vitellaria paradoxa (Sapotaceae) and derived esters exhibit cytotoxicity against a breast cancer cell line. Med Chem Res. 2018;27:268–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Bairy Guérisson. Étude phytochimique de Vitellaria Paradoxa c. f. Gaertn (Sapotaceae), transformations chimiques et activités biologiques contre les maladies neurodégénératives et le cancer, Thèse en Sciences, Université de Yaoundé I, 2022, 209. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12177/10137.

  22. Dauchy FA, Bonhivers M, Landrein N, Dacheux D, Courtois P, Lauruol F, Daulouède S, Vincendeau P, Robinson DR. Trypanosoma brucei CYP51: essentiality and targeting therapy in an experimental Model PLoS. Negl Trop Dis. 2016;10(11): e0005125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Abrahamsohn IA, Silva WD. Antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against Trypanosoma cruzi. Parasitology. 1977;75(3):317–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Mitsuko Ohashi M, Amoa-Bosompem KD, Kwofie J, Agyapong R, Adegle MM, Sakyiamah, et al. In vitro antiprotozoan activity and mechanisms of action of selected ghanaian medicinal plants against Trypanosoma, Leishmania, and Plasmodium parasites. Phytother Res. 2018;32(8):1617–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Mohammed A, Ibrahim AM, Musa AB, Aliyu, Hannah S, Mayaki A, Gideon. Md Shahidul Islam, Phenolics-rich fraction of Khaya senegalensis stem bark: antitrypanosomal activity and amelioration of some parasite-induced pathological changes. Pharm Biol. 2013;51(7):906–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Abisoye LR. Antimalarial, Antitrypanosomal, Antimicrobial Activities and Volatile Oil Profile of Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) Rich (Annonaceae). Letters in Applied NanoBioScience. 2022;11(3):3897–908.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Tchacondo T, Karou SD, Batawila K, Agban A, Ouro-Bang’na K, Anani KT, de Souza Gbeassor M. C. Herbal Remedies and Their Adverse Effects In Tem Tribe Traditional Medicine In Togo. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 2011;8(1):45–60.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Nnadi CO. Solomon Onyedikachi Ngwu 1, Malunwanne Beatrice-Zita Ohagwu, In-Vivo and In-Silico Evidence of Antitrypanocidal Activities of Selected Plants from Asteraceae Family against Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry. 2023;13(1): 30.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Djoueche CM, Azebaze AB, Dongmo AB. Investigation of plant for the Ethnoveterinary control of gastrointestinal parasites in Bénoué Region, Cameroon. Tropicultura. 2011;4:205–11.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Sudirman S, Chen CK, Long BT, Chang HW, Tsou D, Kong ZL. Vitellaria paradoxa Nut Triterpene-Rich Extract ameliorates symptoms of inflammation on post-traumatic osteoarthritis in obese rats. J Pain Res. 2020;13:261–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Fodouop SP, Tala SD, Keilah LP, Kodjio N, Yemele MD, Nwabo Kamdje AH, Nji-Kah B, Tchoumboue J, Gatsing D. Effects of Vitellaria paradoxa (C.F. Gaertn.) aqueous leaf extract administration on Salmonella typhimurium-infected rats. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017;17(1):160. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-017-1643-1. Erratum in: BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023;23(1):40.

  32. Sirignano C, Nadembega P, Poli F, Romano B, Lucariello G, Rigano D, Taglialatela-Scafati O. Triterpenoids from Vitellaria paradoxa stem barks reduce nitrite levels in LPS-Stimulated macrophages. Plants (Basel). 2021;10(5):1006.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Ndukwe KC, Okeke IN, Lamikanra A, Adesina SK, Aboderin O. Antibacterial activity of aqueous extracts of selected chewing sticks. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2005;6(3):86–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Akihisa T, Kojima N, Katoh N, Kikuchi T, Fukatsu M, Shimizu N, Masters ET. Triacylglycerol and triterpene ester composition of shea nuts from seven african countries. J Oleo Sci. 2011;60:385–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Akihisa T, Kojima N, Kikuchi T, Yasukawa K, Tokuda H, Masters ET, Manosroi A, Manosroi J. Anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive effects of triterpene cinnamates and acetates from shea fat. J Oleo Sci. 2010;59:273–80.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Catteau L, Schioppa L, Beaufay C, Girardi C, Hérent MF, Frédérich M, Quetin-Leclercq J. Antiprotozoal activities of triterpenic acids and ester derivatives isolated from the Leaves of Vitellaria paradoxa. Planta Med. 2021;10–11:860–7.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Sut S, Dall’Acqua S, Baldan V, Ngahang Kamte SL, Ranjbarian F, Biapa Nya PC, Vittori S, Benelli G, Maggi F, Cappellacci L, Hofer A, Petrelli R. Identification of tagitinin C from Tithonia diversifolia as antitrypanosomal compound using bioactivity-guided fractionation. Fitoterapia. 2018;124:145–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Njogu M, Kimani JC, Matasyoh M, Kaiser R, Brun TJ, Schmidt. Sesquiterpene Lactones from Vernonia cinerascens Sch. Bip. and Their in Vitro Antitrypanosomal Activity, Molecules. 2018; 23 (2):248.

  39. Steverding D, Sidjui LS, Ferreir ÉR, Ngameni B, Folefoc GN, Mahiou-Leddet V, Ollivier E, Stephenson GR, Storr TE, Tyler KM. T rypanocidal and leishmanicidal activity of six limonoids. J Nat Med. 2020;74(3):606–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Shiby M, Kuriakose R, Singh E. Uzonna host Intracellular Signaling events and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in african Trypanosomiasis. Front Immunol. 2016;7:181.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Okomo-Assoumou MC, Daulouede S, Lemesre JL, N’Zila-Mouanda A, Vincendeau P. Correlation of high serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha with disease severity in human african trypanosomiasis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1995;53(5):539–43.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Vincendeau P, Bouteille B. Immunolgy and Immunopathology of African trypanosomiasis. An Acad Bras Ciênc. 2006;78(4):645–65.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Patricia Nabos and Pierrette Courtois of Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Université de Bordeaux for their technical support by providing the parasite vials.

Funding

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Yaoundé 1, B.O Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Guerisson Bairy

  2. Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, BP 923, Bangui, Central African Republic

    Cyrille Oliver Ozzin-Kholy Zolipou & Romaric Nzoumbou-Boko

  3. Laboratoire des Sciences Biologiques et Agronomiques pour le Développement, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Bangui, BP 1450, Bangui, RCA, Central African Republic

    Cyrille Oliver Ozzin-Kholy Zolipou

  4. Laboratoire de Biochimie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Bangui, BP 1450, Bangui, RCA, Central African Republic

    Romaric Nzoumbou-Boko

Authors
  1. Guerisson Bairy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cyrille Oliver Ozzin-Kholy Zolipou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Romaric Nzoumbou-Boko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

RNB and GB conceived and designed the study, GB and COZ carried out collected the sample, plant extraction and fractionation, RNB and COZ carried out in vitro test. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Romaric Nzoumbou-Boko.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study protocol was accepted by experts from the Center of Study and Research on Traditional African Medicine and Pharmacopoeia (CSRTAMP) at the University of Bangui, in the absence of the institutional and national ethics committee that did not exist at the start of the study. The plant material used was wild and was collected according to the Protocol for conducting ethnobotanical research in the tropics 1996 and in accordance with Guidelines for registration of traditional medicines in the WHO African region 2010.

This was an in vitro study; therefore no animals were used in the study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bairy, G., Ozzin-Kholy Zolipou, C.O. & Nzoumbou-Boko, R. In vitro trypanocidal activity of extracts and compounds isolated from Vitellaria paradoxa. BMC Complement Med Ther 23, 346 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-023-04175-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-023-04175-6

Keywords

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

ISSN: 2662-7671

Contact us