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The aim of this study was to evaluate the anthelmintic and antimicrobial efficacy of Euphorbia helioscopia crude extracts. A worm motility inhibition assay and egg hatch assay were used for in vitro study, and a faecal egg count reduction assay was used for in vivo study. The in vitro study revealed anthelmintic effects of crude methanolic extracts of E. helioscopia on live Haemonchus contortus worms as evident from their paralysis and/or death at 8 h after exposure. Different concentrations (12.5 mg ml(-1), 25 mg ml(-1) and 50 mg ml(-1)) of aqueous and methanolic extracts were used against H. contortus which exhibited dose-dependent anthelmintic effects on H. contortus. Different extracts of E. helioscopia on percent inhibitory egg hatching was very low as compared to levamisole. The antimicrobial activity of extracts ranging from 100 to 500 mg ml(-1) screened by disc diffusion method against four selected bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas multocida and Escherichia coli) and two fungal strains (Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans) was also dose dependent with the extract showing more inhibitory effects against S. aureus and E. coli and a minimum inhibitory effect against A. flavus. It is concluded that the entire plant of E. helioscopia possesses significant anthelmintic and antimicrobial activity and could be a potential alternative for treating cases of helminth infections in ruminants.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the anthelmintic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Chenopodium album against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep and some pathogenic microbes. A worm motility inhibition assay was used for in vitro study, and a faecal egg count reduction assay was used for an in vivo study. Various concentrations ranging from 100 to 500 μg/ml of the extract were subjected to antimicrobial screening by disc diffusion method against four selected bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas multocida and Escherichia coli) and two fungal (Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans) strains in order to estimate the medicinal potential of the herb. DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), riboflavin photo-oxidation, deoxyribose, lipid peroxidation assays were used for antioxidant activity. The extracts exhibited dose- and time-dependent anthelmintic effects on the Haemonchus contortus as compared to levamisole. The extract showed maximum inhibitory effect against S. aureus (28 ± 0.14 mm), while as mild inhibitory effect was observed against E. coli among the selected microbial strains. The effect produced by the different extract concentrations was comparable with the standard antibacterial agent streptomycin sulphate and antifungal agent nystatin, which were used as effective positive control in the study. The antioxidant activity showed that the extracts exhibited scavenging effect in concentration-dependent manner on superoxide anion radicals and hydroxyl radicals leading to the conclusion that the plant has broad spectrum anthelmintic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and could be a potential alternative for treating various diseases.