Therapeutic potential of <i>Garcinia kola</i> against experimental toxoplasmosis in rats

Abstract

Cerebral toxoplasmosis, the most common opportunistic infection in immunocompromised individuals, is increasingly reported in immunocompetent individuals due to mutant strains of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>, which, furthermore, are reported to be resistant to available treatments. We assessed the therapeutic potential of <i>Garcinia kola</i>, a medicinal plant reported to have antiplasmodial and neuroprotective properties, against experimental toxoplasmosis in rats. Severe toxoplasmosis was induced in male Wistar rats (156.7 ± 4.1 g) by injecting them with 10 million tachyzoites in suspension in 500 µl of saline (intraperitoneal), and exclusive feeding with a low-protein diet [7% protein (weight by weight)]. Then, animals were treated with hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate fractions of <i>Garcinia kola</i>. Footprints were analysed and open-field and elevated plus maze ethological tests were performed when symptoms of severe disease were observed in the infected controls. After sacrifice, blood samples were processed for Giemsa staining, organs were processed for haematoxylin and eosin staining, and brains were processed for Nissl staining and cell counting. Compared with non-infected animals, the infected control animals had significantly lower body weights (30.27%↓, <i>P</i> = 0.001), higher body temperatures (<i>P</i> = 0.033) during the sacrifice, together with signs of cognitive impairment and neurologic deficits such as lower open-field arena centre entries (<i>P</i> < 0.001), elevated plus maze open-arm time (<i>P</i> = 0.029) and decreased stride lengths and step widths (<i>P</i> < 0.001), as well as neuronal loss in various brain areas. The ethyl acetate fraction of <i>Garcinia kola</i> prevented or mitigated most of these signs. Our data suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction of <i>Garcinia kola</i> has therapeutic potential against cerebral toxoplasmosis.