Anthelmintic effect of a methanol extract of Bombax malabaricum leaves on Paramphistomum explanatum

Abstract

Bombax malabaricum (family Bombacaceae) is used as anthelmintic in traditional system of medicine in Southern Punjab of Pakistan. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of the methanol extract of B. malabaricum leaves (MEBM). Live parasites (trematode: Paramphistomum explanatum) were collected from buffalo in 0.9% phosphate-buffered saline. It was incubated in Petri dishes at 37 ± 1°C in media containing either no extract (control) or MEBM, the test drug at 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg/ml dose level or albendazole, the standard drug at 10 mg/ml. The efficacy of the extract or albendazole was measured on the basis of the loss of spontaneous movement and/or death of the trematodes. Paralysis was considered when there is no movement unless shaken vigorously. Death was confirmed when the trematodes completely lost their motility, even when vigorously shaken or dipped in warm water (50°C), followed by fading away of their body color. The trematodes, both drug treated and others, were further processed for SEM study using the standard method. All trematodes died with all the above-mentioned doses of MEBM within a short period of time (less than 45 min) which was statistically highly significant (p < 0.001). MEBM at 100 mg/ml showed maximum efficacy. It paralyzed and killed trematodes in 18.50 ± 0.62 and 22.17 ± 0.48 min, respectively. SEM study showed that MEBM-treated trematodes were stretched. The study established the anthelmintic activity of MEBM.

Botanicals: a natural approach to control ascaridiosis in poultry

“…Kundu et al (2012) revealed the broad wormicidal (paralysis and death) in vitro activity of Cassia alata, Cassia angustifolia and Cassia occidentalis (crude ethanol extracts at 10, 20 and 40 mg/ml) against various parasites (trematode Catatropis spp., cestode Raillietina tetragona and nematode H. gallinarum) collected from domestic fowl. The observed effects could be attributed to the large amount of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins that these plants are known to contain (Hossain et al, 2012). Another study revealed similar effects for the ethanolic extract of the leaves of Eupatorium triplinerve (50 and 100 mg/ml) and of the rhisome of Alpinia galangal (100 mg/ml) against A. galli.…”

Gastrothylax crumenifer: Ultrastructure and histopathology study of in vitro trematodicidal action of Marattia fraxinea (Sm.)

“…Various studies on in vitro and in vivo anti-trematodal activity of medicinal plants viz., alcoholic extract of Allium sativum and Piper longum [58], Balanites aegyptica [17], bark of Prosopis cineraria [18], Plumbagin on Fasciola gigantica and Paramphistomum cervi [37,59], 50 medicinal plants against Schistosoma mansoni and Echinostoma caproni used in Côte d' Ivoire [16], Bombax malabaricum leaves against Paramphistomum explanatum [15], Dregea volubilis leaves against Paramphistomum explanatum [60], Artemisia annua, A.absinthium, A.siminatriloba and Fumaria officinalis against adult Schistosoma mansoni, Fasciola hepatica and Echinostoma caproni in vitro [14], Aegle marmelos, Andrographis lineata, A.paniculata, Cocculuc hirsutus, Eclipta prostrata and Tagetes erecta against Paramphistomum cervi [13], Flemingia estita root tuber against Paramphistomum sp. [9].…”

“…The trials to using plants as anthelmintic remedies go back to older methods of the pre chemotherapeutical periods; however they have become more and more important today [8]. Several plants have been tested for their anthelmintic efficacies [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], against trematode infection. To date, there has been no literature cited to show the anthelmintic property of Marattia fraxinea Sm., lower vascular cryptogamic plants scientifically investigated to establish whether or not they have antitrematodal properties in vitro.…”

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.…”

“…The origin of many effective drugs is found in traditional medicine practices and has made several researchers to undertake studies for evaluating folklore medicinal plants on their proclaimed anthelmintic efficacy (Mehlhorn et al 2011). Use of medicinal plants and studies on the chemistry and pharmacology of natural products have grown considerably in the second half of twentieth century (Hossain et al 2012). Therefore, there has always been a need to find new anthelmintic drugs because current drugs do not control all parasitic infections well.…”