The Effects of Allium sativum L., Artemisia absinthium L., Cucurbita pepo L., Coriandrum sativum L., Satureja hortensis L. and Calendula officinalis L. on the Embryogenesis of Ascaris suum Eggs during an In Vitro Experimental Study

Abstract

Ascaris suum is present in traditionally managed indoor pig herds and in industrialized farms, especially in older fatteners and sows. The increasing resistance to common antihelminthic drugs redirected research towards alternative and traditional therapies, which also include medicinal plants. This study comparatively evaluated the in vitro antiparasitic effects of Allium sativum L., Artemisia absinthium L., Cucurbita pepo L., Coriandrum sativum L., Satureja hortensis L. and Calendula officinalis L. against A. suum egg hatching and larval development. A. suum eggs were sampled from randomized fecal specimens collected from traditionally raised swine. The egg suspension (ES, 12 × 103/mL) was divided into two controls (C) (1C—1 mL ES + 1 mL distilled water, 2C—five plates of 1 mL ES + 1 mL ethanol of 70%, 35%, 17.5%, 8.75%, and 4.375%, respectively) and six experimental groups, and placed in 3 mL cell plates. The experimental groups (EG, 1–6) included ES + each alcoholic plant extract (10%, 5%, 2.5%, 1.25%, 0.625%). Both C and EG were performed in quintuplicate. All variants were incubated at 27 °C for a total of 21 days. A. suum eggs were examined after 2, 14 (L1), and 21 (L2/L3) days of incubation. The efficacy of all tested plant extracts increased with concentration. Anti-embryogenic effects on A. suum eggs were expressed by all plants. A superior influence was observed in A. sativum L., A. absinthium L., C. pepo L. and S. hortensis L. extracts, at all concentrations tested. A. sativum L. and A. absinthium L. extracts showed the strongest antihelminthic activity, while C. sativum L. and C. officinalis L. were the weakest ascaricids. Future in-depth phytochemical studies are required to identify the compounds responsible for the anthelminthic properties of these plant species.

The In Vitro Anticoccidial Activity of Some Herbal Extracts against Eimeria spp. Oocysts Isolated from Piglets

“…The major biological compounds identified by biochemical analysis of the 10% alcoholic plant extracts were as follows: poliphenols and sterols for A. absinthium ; poliphenols, tocopherols, and sulfoxide for A. sativum ; tocopherols and sterols for C. pepo ; poliphenols, tocopherols, sterols, methoxylated flavones, and sesquiterpene lactones for C. sativum ; poliphenols, tocopherols, and sterols for C. officinalis; and poliphenols, tocopherols, sterols, and methoxylated flavones for S. hortensis . These compounds were presented in detail in the supplementary material in Table S2 , the data being previously published by Băieș et al [ 27 ].…”

“…The plant extracts were obtained by adding 10 g of the powdered plants to 100 mL of 70° alcohol (10%). All extractions and chemical analyses were performed at the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca as previously described by Băieș et al [ 27 ]. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) were used for the analysis of major chemical compounds (poliphenols, sterols, tocopherols, sesquiterpene lactones, methoxylated flavones, and sulfoxide).…”

“…High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) were used for the analysis of major chemical compounds (poliphenols, sterols, tocopherols, sesquiterpene lactones, methoxylated flavones, and sulfoxide). The equipment, techniques, and methods used for analysis of alcoholic plant extracts have already been detailed in a previous publication [ 27 ].…”

The Effects of Coriandrum sativum L. and Cucurbita pepo L. against Gastrointestinal Parasites in Swine: An In Vivo Study

“…The therapeutic potential of medicinal plants renders phytotherapy an alternative to synthetic drugs [ 11 , 35 ]. C. pepo and C. sativum were found to be effective against several gastrointestinal parasites in swine [ 11 , 30 , 36 ]. The mechanism of antiparasitic action of C. sativum can be attributed to the main bioactive compounds in coriander, i.e., terpenoids, which are components of its essential oils [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 19 ], while for pumpkin it was assigned to the presence of cucurbitacins [ 20 , 22 , 25 ].…”

“…Biological compounds such as polyphenols, tocopherols, and sterols present in the studied plants demonstrated effective antiparasitic properties, both in vitro and in vivo [ 10 , 11 , 22 , 35 ]. An in-depth analysis of the compounds identified in C. pepo and C. sativum alcoholic extracts has already been detailed in a previous article [ 30 ].…”