Potential anthelmintic effect of Capparis spinosa (Capparidaceae) as related to its polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Capparis spinosa is cultivated for several proprieties and the different parts of the plant (flower buds, fruits, leaf and seeds) have been employed in drugs, foods and cosmetics. This study aimed to explore the antioxidant potential effect and to assess the anthelmintic efficacy of an aqueous extract of Capparis spinosa. In vitro antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts from the fresh leaves and flower buds of C. spinosa was measured by determining free radical-scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS radical cations. In vitro anthelmintic activities against eggs and adult worms of Haemonchus contortus from sheep were investigated in comparison to albendazole. DPPH and ABTS activities of both aqueous extracts increased in a dose dependent manner. The IC 50 values of aqueous extracts from fresh leaves, flowers buds and ascorbic acid in the DPPH radical scavenging assay were 101.40; 70.40 and 57.56 μg/ml, respectively. The IC 50 values of aqueous extracts fresh leaves, flowers buds and ascorbic acid in the ABTS radical scavenging assay were 110; 87.89 and 58.17 μg/ml, respectively. Both plant extracts showed ovicidal activity at all tested concentrations. The aqueous extract from flower buds (IC 50 = 2.76 mg/ml) showed higher inhibitory effects (P < 0.05) than aqueous extract from leaves (IC 50 = 8.54 mg/ml) in the egg hatching assay. The aqueous extract from flower buds inhibited more worms than the aqueous extract from leaves at all tested concentrations. After 6 h of exposure, the highest tested concentrations of aqueous extracts from flower buds and leaves induced 100 and 41.66% inhibition of motility, respectively. These results show for the first time that C. spinosa possesses in vitro anthelmintic properties which may be related to its high content of phenolic compounds such as flavonoids and tannins. Keywords: Capparis spinosa; free radical-scavenging ability; anthelmintic; Haemonchus contortusList of abbreviations ABTS = 2,2'-azinobis-[3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid]; DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide; DPPH = 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl; HPLC/MS = chromatography/mass spectrometry; PBS = phosphate-buffered saline Parasite infestations of livestock species are especially prevalent in developing countries due to poor management practices and inadequate control measures (Dhar et al. 1982). The main control measures for parasitic diseases largely rely on the repeated use of anthelmintics. However, resistance to various groups of anthelmintics is constantly increasing in worm populations, especially those found in small ruminants (Waller 1997;Van Wyk et al. 1999). In addition, the increasing pressure from consumers to limit the use of chemical substances in livestock industry merits consideration. These two issues underpin the current search for alternatives or rather complementary solutions to chemotherapy to control gastrointestinal parasitism in sheep and goats. There is an increasing body of evidence that stockowners rely on ethno-veterinary medicine as an alternative and as a sustain-

Anthelmintic Activity of Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) and Mallow (Malva sylvestris L.) against Haemonchus contortus in Sheep

“…However, the anthelmintic mechanism of action is unknown. It seems that flavonoids with antioxidant capacity, in particular, contribute to the indirect antiparasitic activity [34,35]. However, not only the content of flavonoids appears to play an important role in the anthelmintic activity of medicinal plants and their mixtures.…”

Edible halophytes of the Mediterranean basin: Potential candidates for novel food products

“…The authors found a promissory anthelmintic activity against eggs and adult worms of Haemonchus contortus from sheep, while they correlated these effects to the high content of phenolic compounds (i.e. flavonoids and tannins (Akkari et al, 2016). The anti-inflammatory activity of caper was also detected in animal studies, where leaf extracts were able to reduce edema in treated mice in a dose-dependent manner, as also a significant decrease in immune cells infiltration, vasodilatation and in dermis thickness (Azhary et al, 2017).…”

“…Cytotoxic activity of the plant was also assessed, being observed a high selectivity against human cancer cell lines, namely: breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep-G2), and colon carcinoma (HCT-116 and HT-29) cells, suggesting their upcoming use as a promissory candidate for nutraceutical researches (Bakr & Bishbishy, 2016). Anthelmintic effects of the species were also reported as being related to its phenolic content and antioxidant activity (Akkari et al, 2016). The authors found a promissory anthelmintic activity against eggs and adult worms of Haemonchus contortus from sheep, while they correlated these effects to the high content of phenolic compounds (i.e.…”

“…ferulic acid, gallic acid, kaempferol, luteolin, naringenin-7-O-glucoside, naringin, p-coumaric acid, protocatechuic acid, quercetin, resveratrol, rutin, syringic acid, taxifolin and vanillic acid), glucosinolates (glucocapperin, butyl-isothiocyanate, isopropyl-isothiocyanate, glucobrassicin and glucoiberin), lipids and liposoluble compounds (tocopherols: αand γ-tocopherol, carotenoids: β-carotene and lutein, and fatty acids) and ascorbic acid (Aichi-Yousfi et al, 2016). Other important secondary metabolites include resins, tannins, anthocyanins, organic acids, aldehydes and ketones, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, polysaccharides and sugars, as also hemicelluloses and pectin which have also been reported for caper plant tissues (Akkari et al, 2016;Mansour et al, 2016). Seed oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, while apart from commonly found oleic, linoleic and palmitic acid it also contains significant amounts of vaccenic acid (Argentieri, Macchia, Papadia, Paolo, & Avato, 2012).…”

Capparis spinosa L. in A Systematic Review: A Xerophilous Species of Multi Values and Promising Potentialities for Agrosystems under the Threat of Global Warming

“…Total flavonoids registered 57 mg Quercetin Equivalent (QE)/g DW in hydroethanol extract of leaves and ranged from 2.6 to 6.96 mg QE /g DW in leaves methanol extract, whereas, 13.97 mg QE/ g DW and 25 mg QE/ g DW were found in leaves and flowers aqueous extracts respectively. Roots and fruits ethyl acetate extracts had a content of flavonoids of 95.5 and 18.1 mg QE/g respectively (Bhoyar et al, 2011 ; Mahboubi and Mahboubi, 2014 ; Akkari et al, 2016 ; Mansour et al, 2016 ). According to Inocencio et al ( 2000 ), 10 g of commercial caper bud will provide 40 mg QE as aglycone in Mediterranean countries (Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Italy, Greece).…”