IN VITRO TRYPANOCIDAL ACTIVITIES OF CHITOSAN NANO-ENCAPSULATED TOAD VENOM ON TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI BRUCEI

Trypanosomiasis, commonly known as African Sleeping Sickness, is a neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma, transmitted by tsetse flies. This debilitating disease predominantly affects sub-Saharan Africans, posing significant public health challenges due to its potential to cause severe morbidity and mortality in both humans and animals if left untreated. In this study, chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized, characterized and conjugated with toad venom using standard methods. Thereafter, the in vitro trypanocidal activity of the chitosan nanoparticles-encapsulated toad venom was evaluated using standard methods. Blood obtained from infected donor mice was diluted with normal saline to contain 1 × 103 parasites. Exactly, 20 µl of the blood sample contained parasites was incubated with varying concentrations of 62.5 µg/ml, 125 µg/ml, 250 µg/ml, and 500 µg/ml of the chitosan nano-encapsulated toad venom in microtitre plates for 60 minutes. The mixtures were observed under a compound microscope (Mg x 40) for parasite motility at 10-minute intervals. The spectra of the synthesized chitosan nanoparticles and chitosan nano-encapsulated toad venom was found to be 250 nm and 217.50 nm. Complete cessation of parasite motility was observed for all test concentrations within 60 minutes. The most active concentrations (125 µg/ml, 250 µg/ml, and 500 µg/ml) caused complete cessation of parasite motility within 20 minutes, while the 62.5 µg/ml concentration took 50 minutes when compared with berenil that occurred within 10 minutes at 500 µg/ml. These results suggest that chitosan nano-encapsulated toad venom exhibits significant trypanocidal activity and may be explored further for the treatment African Animal Trypanosomiasis.