In vitro anthelminthic and anti-inflammatory activities, and GC-MS analysis of methanol and acetone extracts of Mareya micrantha leaves

Abstract

Mareya micrantha, a medicinal plant, is used to treat pains, wounds, worm infestations and gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of this research was to investigate the anthelmintic and anti-inflammatory properties of the methanol and acetone extracts of Mareya micrantha leaves. Phytochemical screening was performed using standard methods with GC-MS used for the identification of the phytochemicals. Egg albumen denaturation was used for the determination of the anti-inflammatory (in vitro) activities of the extracts. Anthelmintic activity (in vitro) of the extracts was investigated against Millsonia ghanensis. Phytochemical investigation revealed the presence of phenols, terpenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, saponins, and glycosides. Twenty phytochemicals, most of which have known bioactivities, were identified for each extract with five being common to them, and they are n-hexadecanoic acid, Tributyl acetyl citrate, hexadecanoic acid methyl ester, 3, 7, 11, 15-tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol, and 2, 2, 4-trimethyl-3-(3, 8, 12, 16-tetramethyl-heptadeca-3, 7, 11, 15-tetraethyl)-cyclohexanol. The extracts had anti-inflammatory activity. The anthelmintic activity of the extracts was significantly higher than mebendazole-treated helminths. The outcome of this study points to the fact that Mareya micrantha could be exploited as a source of potential drug candidates against helminthic and microbial infection as well as inflammation and oxidative stress.