Evaluation of anthelmintic activity of Nigerian ethnoveterinary plants Cassia occidentalis and Guiera senegalensis

• Main Authors: Mohammed Musa Suleiman, Mohammed Mamman, Adamu Sidiama, Eserohene Jane Ighoja, Mohammad Tauheed, Ahmad Muhammad Talba
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Veterinary World 2014-07-01
• Series: Veterinary World
• Subjects: anthelmintic; Cassia occidentalis; Guiera senegalensis; Haemonchus contortus; medicinal plants
• Online Access: http://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.7/July-2014/17.pdf

Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of the stem-barks of Cassia occidentalis and Guiera senegalensis which are used traditionally to treat gastrointestinal helminth infections in goat. Materials and Methods: Phytochemical analysis using standard techniques was used to detect secondary metabolites contained in the plants. In vitro anthelmintic activity of the crude methanol extracts of the plants was determined using egg hatch inhibition test (EHIT) and larval development inhibition assay (LDIA). Results: The extracts of C. occidentalis and G. senegalensis inhibited hatching of eggs and larval development of Haemonchus contortus in a concentration-dependent manner. At concentrations of 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 mg/ml, the extract of C. occidentalis produced significant (p < 0.05) inhibition of egg hatching of H. contortus eggs when compared with the untreated (distilled water) control group. C. occidentalis inhibited, by up to 86%, the larval development of H. contortus. Similarly, the extract of G. senegalensis at concentrations of 10 and 100 mg/ml produced significant (p < 0.05) inhibition of egg hatching of H. contortus eggs and inhibited larval development by up to 85% of the parasite. C. occidentalis (EC50 = 4.23 mg/ml) was found to be more efficacious than G. senegalensis (EC50 = 88.24 mg/ml) against H. contortus eggs. However, G. senegalensis (EC50 = 0.0012 mg/ml) was more effective than C. occidentalis (EC50 = 0.11 mg/ml) against the larvae of H. contortus. Conclusion: The crude methanol extracts of C. occidentalis and G. senegalensis possess in vitro anthelmintic activity against H. contortus that requires detailed in vivo pharmacological and toxicological trials to justify their use in clinical veterinary practice.