African trypanosomiasis is a menace in sub-Saharan Africa, but more threatening is the avalanche of reports from the field of the case of drug resistance. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of intramuscular administration of trypanocides on organ damage and packed cell volume profile of Wistar rats infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei (Federe strain). Twenty-five adult Wistar rats weighing between 200 and 240 g were randomly divided into five groups. Group A uninfected untreated, group B were infected with 1 × 106 of the parasites. Groups C, D, and E were administered the same dose as in group B, and were treated with 3.5 mg/kg b.w. of Diminazene di-aceturate,1 mg/kg b.w. of Isometamidium chloride, and 1 mg/kg b.w. of Homidium chloride, respectively. There was a highly significant increase in organ weight of group B compared to the other groups. However, the increase in the heart and kidney were not significant in group A compared to the treated groups, whereas for the reticulo-endothelial organs of the liver and spleen, the increment was lowest in the group treated with Isometamidium chloride, followed by the groups treated with Diminazene di-aceturate and Homidium chloride at the same level of significance when compared to group A. The final values of PCV in groups B and E showed a highly significant decrease compared to their final values. Whereas, the same value significantly decreased in group C. However, there was no significant difference in the final value of the PCV in group treated with Isometamidium chloride compared to its initial value. The administration of the trypanocides reduced, and modulated T. brucei brucei induced organ damage and increased the PCV of the rats in the treated groups. In conclusion, we recommend their continued use according to the manufacturer's instructions in order to avoid iatrogenic factors that could reduce their potency and elicit parasite drug resistance.
Key words: Diminazene di-aceturate, Isometamidium chloride, Homidium chloride, hematocrit, Trypanosoma brucei brucei (Federe strain), Wistar rats.
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