Anthelmintic evaluation of Cucurbita pepo againstgastrointestinal nematodes of sheep

Abstract

The study was aimed at to investigate the anthelmintic efficacy of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Cucurbita pepo against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep by scientifically validated in vitro and in vivo tests. In vitro anthelmintic activity was determined by egg hatch assay, larval migration inhibition assay and larval development assay against eggs and larvae of mixed gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. The extracts which were found to be effective in in vitro assays were further evaluated by in vivo faecal egg count reduction test against mixed species of sheep gastrointestinal nematodes with 3 different doses (125, 250 and 500 mg kg -1 ). Haematological and serum parameters were estimated before and after treatment to determine the impact of plant extracts on health of the animal. Aqueous extract of C. pepo demonstrated significant inhibition of egg hatch at 40 and 80 mg/ml. The ED 50 value of egg hatch inhibition was 3.51mg/ml. In larval migration inhibition assay, both aqueous and ethanolic extracts of C. pepo demonstrated inhibition of larval migration and the LM 50 was 1.75 and 0.32 mg/ml respectively. However, in larval development assay, both aqueous and ethanolic extracts showed only marginal inhibition of larval development at all concentrations tested. In faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), aqueous extracts of C. pepo at 500 mg/kg caused significant reduction in eggs per gram (96.61 per cent) the reduction being higher than the result obtained with albendazole, the positive control (93.25 per cent). There was a significant difference in EPG reduction between sheep treated with albendazole and C. pepo. Haematological and serum parameters were not affected in both the treated and untreated sheep indicating that the extracts did not cause toxic effects. Based on the results obtained in this study, the aqueous extract of C. pepo possesses anthelmintic activity and could offer an alternative source for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.

Anthelmintic Activity of Nine Varieties of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp on Haemonchus contortus from Sheep

“…For this purpose, alternative and or complementary methods are developed to control this gastrointestinal parasitism. Plant bioactive molecules use is one of these methods (Jackson and Miller, 2006;Githiori et al, 2006;Meenakshisundaram et al, 2017).…”

Parasitic Characterization and Histopathological Alterations in the Local Naemi Sheep, Ovis aries awassi, Naturally Infected with Dicrocoelium dendriticum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…Ingestion of raw or undercooked infected liver may result in spurious infections (Cabeza-Barrera et al 2011). Fields with dry, chalky, or alkaline soils are ideal for Dicrocoelium intermediate hosts (Manga-González et al 2001;Meenakshisundaram et al 2017). The clinical manifestations that these parasites cause in animals are primarily related to liver and gastric issues.…”