Toxic effect of essential oils (Copaifera spp) in the treatment of mice experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi

The aims of this study were to test the effectiveness of copaiba essential oils controlling trypanosomosis and to describe the toxic effect of copaiba essential oil used in treatment of mice infected with Trypanosoma evansi. The experiment was designed, testing the effect of three different oils of copaiba species (Copaifera reticulata, Copaifera paupera and Copaifera duckei) in the mice in dose 1.0 mL kg⁻¹ during 3 days. However, they did not reach the curative efficacy, showing that only C. paupera oil was able to prolong the survival of mice. The three tested oils were toxic at the used doses to the mice due to the verification of increased levels of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid peroxidation and observation of histopathological lesions in liver. The curative effect was not observed; being only able to prolong the lifespan of the animals treated with oil of copaiba, as well as the dose of oils was toxic to animals.