In vitro anthelmintic activity of Muntingia calabura leaf extract against Haemonchus contortus

Abstract

Helminthiasis is a serious problem in the tropical regions including the Asian countries which cause substantial morbidity and mortality in livestock. Haemonchosis is one of the most significant parasitic diseases of livestock worldwide, affecting millions of small ruminants like sheep and goats. Medicinal plants are becoming increasingly popular in modern society as natural alternatives to synthetic drugs. With limitations of conventional treatments and development of drug resistance, research on herbal medicineis gaining momentum. In this scenario the present study was carried out to screen the acetone extract of Mutingia calabura (Leaves) for anthelmintic activity. In vitro anthelmintic activity was evaluated against Haemonchus contortus of sheep using adult motility assay (AMA) and egg hatch test (EHT) after preliminary phytochemical evaluation, and antioxidant assay. The phytochemical analysis revealed mainly the presence of flavonoids, tannins and saponins in Mutingia sp. The antioxidant activity of each compound was expressed as ascorbic acid equivalents. Antioxidant activity of Muntingia calabura exhibits 2.15696 mg/ml of ascorbic acid equivalent which is a well known antioxidant. The potency of extracts of Mutingia calabura is as par with albendazole. In AMA, a time-concentration dependent response was observed in all the treatment groups.