Antitrichomonal activity of Acanthospermum hispidum D. C. (Asteraceae)

Acanthospermum hispidum (Asteraceae), used ethnomedically in the treatment of inflammatory conditions and fever, was evaluated for antiprotozoal activities such as trypanocidal and antiplasmodial effects. This study was carried out to investigate the anti-trichomonal potential of the plant. The air-dried leaf was extracted successively with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate and methanol using the soxhlet extraction method. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the most active extract was carried out using the vacuum liquid chromatographic technique for antitrichomonal activity using Trichomonas gallinae in vitro. The ethyl acetate extract (A3) was the most active extract with LC50-LC90 values of 0.58-1.06 and 0.58-1.05 mg/ml at 24 and 48 h, respectively.  Subfraction C7 had the highest antitrichomonal activity with 0.25-0.66 and 0.25-0.54 mg/ml at 24 and 48 h, respectively comparable to the activity of metronidazole at 0.20-0.39 and 0.16-0.36 mg/ml at 24 and 48 h, respectively. A . hispidum possessed antitrichomonal activity which resided in the chloroform portion of the ethyl acetate extract of the plant. Keywords: Trichomonas gallinae , vacuum liquid chromatography, antiprotozoal African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(11), 1303-1307