Kolaviron shows anti-proliferative effect and down regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor-C and toll like receptor-2 in Wuchereria bancrofti infected blood lymphocytes

The anti-proliferative effect and down regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor C and toll like receptor-2 by kolaviron on Wuchereria bancrofti infected peripheral blood lymphocytes were investigated. Blood were collected from consenting volunteers in Talata Mafara, Nigeria, between the hours of 10 pm to 12 am, and microscopically identified for microfilariae. W. bancrofti positive samples were cultured for 72 h treated with Doxycycline (2 μg/ml) and kolaviron (5 μg/ml) in vitro. Mitotic index, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-c), toll like receptor-2 (TLR-2) were determined using standard procedures. Mitotic index was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in the kolaviron treated group compared to negative control. Kolaviron also significantly (P < 0.05) down regulated the expression of VEGF-c and TLR-2 when compared with the untreated group. In both cases, the effects of kolaviron was not significantly different (P < 0.05) to that of doxycycline. Furthermore, strong positive correlations between mitotic index, VEGF-c and TLR-2 expressions were observed. The study suggests that kolaviron rich portion of Garcinia kola exhibited anti-proliferative effect and down regulation of VEGF-c and TLR-2 in W. bancrofti infected blood. Thus, the results from this study might have unravelled the potency of kolaviron in the management of complications associated with lymphatic filariasis.