In vitro antihelmintic effect of fifteen tropical plant extracts on excysted flukes of Fasciola hepatica

Abstract

BackgroundFasciolosis due to Fasciola hepatica is the most important hepatic disease in veterinary medicine. Its relevance is important because of the major economical losses to the cattle industry such as: reduction in milk, meat and wool production; miscarriages, anemia, liver condemnation and occasionally deaths, are estimated in billons of dollars.The emergence of fluke resistance due to over or under dosing of fasciolides as well as environmental damage produced by the chemicals eliminated in field have stimulated the need for alternative methods to control Fasciola hepatica. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic effect of fifteen tropical plant extracts used in tradicional Mexican medicine, on newly excysted flukes of Fasciola hepatica.ResultsThe flukes were exposed in triplicate at 500, 250 and 125 mg/L to each extract. The efficacy was assessed as the mortality rate based on the number of live and dead flukes after 24, 48 and 72 h post-exposure. The plants with anthelmintic effect were evaluated once again with a concentration of 375 mg/L in order to confirm the results and to calculate lethal concentrations at 50%, 90% and 99% (LC50, LC90, and LC99). Plant extracts of Lantana camara, Bocconia frutescens, Piper auritum, Artemisia mexicana and Cajanus cajan had an in vitro anthelmintic effect (P <0.05). The LC50, LC90 and LC99 to A. mexicana, C. cajan and B. frutescens were 92.85, 210.44 and 410.04 mg/L, 382.73, 570.09 and 788.9 mg/L and 369.96, 529.94 and 710.34 mg/L, respectively.ConclusionIt is concluded that five tropical plant extracts had promising anthelmintic effects against F. hepatica. Further studies on toxicity and in vivo biological evaluation in ruminant models might help to determine the anthelmintic potential of these plant extracts.

Gastrothylax crumenifer: ultrastructure and histopathology study of in vitro trematodicidal effect of Microlepia speluncae (L.) Moore

“…The medicinal uses of Pteridophytes have been viably reported (Benjamin & Manickam 2007;Benniamin 2011). The anti-trematodal property of flowering plants has been reported worldwide (Hossain et al 2012;Alvarez-Mercado et al 2015); Blakemore et al (1964) and Amritpal Singh (2011) reported on the anthelmintic property of ferns. Kalpana Devi et al (2016) reported on the anti-trematodal property of Blechnum orientale against Gastrothylax crumenifer.…”

Fasciola Gigantica: Tegumental Surface Alterations Following Treatment in Vitro with Plumbagin

“…That was in agreement with the findings in the current study which approve the classification of the isolated species. The control of fascioliasis is deeply dependent on the use of chemical drugs [21], however, the excessive and continuous usage of these drugs had arisen a new era of drug resistance as had been reported in many endemic regions of the world [24,25]. The current trend in medical and pharmacological research, is the investigating of new treatments of natural origin, because of their higher biosafety levels and fewer side effects [24,26].…”

Fascioliasis: A Rare Case Mimicking Cholelithiasis

“…Fasciola species are refractory to praziquantel therapy, and triclabendazole should be preferred. [3][4][5] In the present case, triclabendazole treatment was administered, and no complications were observed. In Turkey this parasite is endemic; however, it is rarely seen in cases with cholelithiasis.…”