  Wild animals, pets, zoo animals and mammals of veterinary importance heavily
suffer from trypanosomiasis. Drugs with serious side effects are currently
mainstay of therapies used by veterinarians. Trypanosomiasis is caused by
Trypanosoma sp. leading to sleeping sickness in humans. Surface modified
(hydrophobic and lipophilic) amorphous nanoporous silica molecules could be
effectively used as therapeutic drug for combating trypanosomiasis. The
amorphous nanosilica was developed by top-down approach using volcanic soil
derived silica (Advasan; 50- 60 nm size with 3-10 nm inner pore size range) and
diatomaceous earth (FS; 60-80 nm size with 3-5 nm inner pore size range) as
source materials. According to WHO and USDA standards amorphous silica has long
been used as feed additives for several veterinary industries and considered to
be safe for human consumption. The basic mechanism of action of these
nanosilica molecules is mediated by the physical absorption of HDL components
in the lipophilic nanopores of nanosilica. This reduces the supply of the host
derived cholesterol, thus limiting the growth of the Trypanosoma sp. in vivo.
