ABSTRACT
Background: Cassia occidentalis is traditionally used to treat helminth infestations in poultry. We investigated the in-vitro anthelmintic activity of the methanolic leaf extract of this plant against Heterakis gallinarum and Ascaridia galli worms and its acute toxicity. Methods: Leaves of the plant were air dried, ground into powder and extracted with 70% methanol, filtered and dried at 50℃ into a dark green semi-solid mass. The worms were isolated from fresh intestines of local chicken and pheasants or turkeys freshly slaughtered in Kampala markets. They were placed in conical flasks containing Goodwin’s solution, kept in a water bath set at 39°C and exposed to 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24mg/ml extract concentrations. Percent worm mortality was determined for each concentration at 12h intervals. piperazine and ivermectin were used as positive controls. For acute toxicity evaluation, Swiss mice were divided into 5 groups (n=6) and administered per os with extract doses of 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 and 25,000mg/Kg. The EC50 was determined by a plot of mortality probits against log extract concentration. Results There was a concentration-dependent relationship with worm mortality. The mean worm mortality for A. galli was significantly higher for the extract than for piperazine at 16 and 20mg/ml (p<0.05) and 24 mg/ml concentrations (p<0.01). Activity against H. gallinarum was not significantly different from that of ivermectin. The EC50 of the extract was 11.78mg/ml for A. galli and 17.78mg/ml for H. gallinarum. The extract is safe according to OECD acute toxicity guidelines since no mortality and toxicity signs were observed in mice even at 25,000mg/kg. Conclusions: The study demonstrated the anthelmintic activity of C. occidentalis and this could explain its use in traditional medicine as a remedy against helminth infections over the generations in many parts of Uganda.
ABSTRACT
A atividade anti-helmíntica dos extratos aquoso e etanólico do fruto da Morinda citrifolia (noni) foi avaliada em aves poedeiras naturalmente infectadas por Ascaridia galli. A atividade anti-helmíntica in vitro foi determinada em parasitos adultos. O extrato aquoso e etanólico foram testados nas seguintes concentrações: 1,69; 3,37; 6,74; 13,48 e 26,96 mg.mL-1 e 4,17; 8,34; 16,68; 33,36 e 66,72 mg.mL-1, respectivamente. A atividade anti-helmíntica in vivo foi determinada administrando-se, durante três dias consecutivos, o extrato aquoso (50,1 mg.mL-1) e etanólico (24,6 mg.mL-1), sendo 10 mL.kg-1. Posteriormente, as aves foram sacrificadas e necropsiadas para contagem dos helmintos remanescentes. Os dados obtidos foram analisados estatisticamente, utilizando-se o teste de Student-Newman-Keuls. Nas concentrações 13,48 e 26,96 mg.mL-1, o extrato aquoso apresentou taxa de mortalidade de 46,67 e 50 por cento, respectivamente, sendo estatisticamente diferente do controle negativo (P < 0,05). O extrato etanólico apresentou diferença significativa do controle negativo (diluente) (P < 0,05) para as concentrações 33,36 e 66,72 mg.mL-1, expressando taxa de mortalidade de 66,67 e 76,67 por cento, respectivamente. No teste in vivo, o extrato aquoso do fruto do noni apresentou percentual de eliminação de 27,08 por cento, diferindo estatisticamente do grupo controle. Não houve diferença significativa entre os tratamentos com extrato etanólico e controle (P > 0,05). Conclui-se que a atividade anti-helmíntica do fruto do noni, no teste in vitro, apresentou resultados satisfatórios, havendo necessidade de estudos com maiores concentrações no teste in vivo.
The anthelmintic activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Morinda citrifolia fruit (noni) was evaluated in chicken naturally infected by Ascaridia galli. The anthelmintic activity in vitro was determined in adult parasites. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts were used in the following concentrations: 1.69; 3.37; 6.74; 13.48 e 26.96 mg.mL-1 and 4.17; 8.34; 16.68; 33.36 and 66.72 mg.mL-1, respectively. The anthelmintic activity in vivo was determined by the administration of 10 mL.kg-1 of the aqueous (50.1 mg.mL-1) and ethanolic (24.6 mg.mL-1) extracts during three consecutive days. Later the chickens were euthanized and necropsy was performed in order to count the remaining helminths. The data were analyzed by the Student-Newman-Keuls test. In the concentrations of 13.48 and 26.96 mg.mL-1, the aqueous extract demonstrated mortality of 46.67 and 50 percent, respectively, there was a significative difference from the negative control (P < 0.05). The ethanolic extract presented statistical difference from the negative control (diluent) (P < 0.05) for the concentrations of 33.36 and 66.72 mg.mL-1, expressed by a mortality rate of 66.67 and 76.67 percent, respectively. In the in vivo test, the aqueous extract of noni fruit showed 27.08 percent of elimination, deferring statistically from the control group. There was no statistical difference between the ethanolic extract treatments and the control (P > 0.05). It follows that the anthelmintic activity of noni fruit test showed satisfactory results in vitro, there is a need for studies in higher concentrations in the in vivo test.
Subject(s)
Animals , Anthelmintics/pharmacology , Ascaridia/drug effects , Fruit , Morinda , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , EthanolABSTRACT
As plantas são fontes importantes de produtos naturais biologicamente ativos. Dentre as plantas usadas na medicina popular a Anonna squamosa conhecida como fruta-do-conde é citada como tendo várias ações medicinais, dentre elas a atividade inseticida e anti-helmíntica. Dentro desta perspectiva, objetivou-se determinar a atividade anti-helmíntica dos extratos aquosos (EA) e etanólicos (EE) das folhas da fruta-do-conde sobre o nematóide de aves Ascaridia galli, in vitro e in vivo. No primeiro, os nematóides foram colocados em placa de Petri contendo diferentes concentrações dos extratos e no segundo foram utilizadas seis galinhas poedeiras por grupo, as quais foram administrados10 mL Kg-1 dos extratos. No teste in vitro o EA da A. squamosa nas concentrações 2,4 e 9,6 mg mL-1 foi capaz de matar 63,33 por cento e 53,33 por cento dos nematóides, respectivamente. O EE não produziu efeito significativo. No teste in vivo, o percentual de eliminação do EA foi de 39 por cento e do EE de 20 por cento. Estes dados sugerem que neste caso a substância responsável pela mortalidade dos parasitos esteja em maior concentração na fração aquosa. Desta maneira, acredita-se que o EA de A. squamosa apresenta uma atividade anti-helmíntica potencial sobre o A. galli.
Plants are important sources of biologically active natural products. Among the plants used in popular medicine, Annona squamosa, known as sweetsop, is reported to have several medicinal actions such as insecticidal and anthelmintic activity. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the anthelmintic activity of aqueous (AE) and ethanolic (EE) extracts from sweetsop leaves on the chicken roundworm Ascaridia galli, both in vitro and in vivo. In the former, nematodes were placed on a Petri plate containing different concentrations of the extracts; in the in vivo test, six egg-laying chickens per group received 10 mL Kg-1 of the extracts. In vitro results indicated that A. squamosa AE at the concentrations 2.4 and 9.6 mg mL-1 could kill 63.33 percent and 53.33 percent nematodes, respectively. However, EE did not have any significant effect. According to the in vivo test, the elimination percentage for AE was 39 percent and for EE, 20 percent. These data suggest that the substance responsible for parasite mortality was present at a higher concentration in the aqueous fraction. Thus, A. squamosa AE is believed to have a potential anthelmintic activity on A. galli.