Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T13:26:15.816Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

In vitro screening for cestocidal activity of three species of Cassia plants against the tapeworm Raillietina tetragona

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2012

S. Kundu
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan 731235, West Bengal, India
L.M. Lyndem*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan 731235, West Bengal, India
*

Abstract

Different species of Cassia plant are widely available in India and are commonly used either for their laxative, antimicrobial or antibacterial activity. In the present study the effectiveness in vitro of the crude alcoholic extracts of three species, namely Cassia alata, C. occidentalis and C. angustifolia, in the early paralysis and mortality of the fowl tapeworm Raillietina tetragona at concentrations ranging from 5 to 80 mg/ml was investigated. Time of paralysis and death were monitored frequently. Immediately after paralysis the tapeworms were processed for electron microscopic studies. While the untreated or control parasites survived for 81.93 ± 5.85 h, the parasites treated with C. alata took less time (1.68 ± 0.27 h) to be paralysed, followed by those treated with C. angustifolia (2.95 ± 0.29 h). Although C. occidentalis took more time (4.13 ± 0.31 h) to paralyse, in combination with either C. alata or C. angustifolia the time taken to paralyse became shorter. All the plant-treated parasites showed irrevocable changes in the scolex and proglottids as compared with the control, and these observations are comparable with those obtained with praziquantel. These results indicate that the three plants tested can be claimed to have anthelmintic activity in addition to their known properties, both when used individually and in combination. Further investigations will be required to evaluate their mechanism of action.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abo, K.A., Adediwura, A.A. & Ibikunle, A.J. (1998) 1st International Workshop on Herbal Medicinal Products. pp. 2224. University of Ibadan, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Agarwal, V. & Bajpai, M. (2010) Pharmacognostical and biological studies on senna and its product: an overview. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences 1, 110.Google Scholar
Aksu, G. (2009) Plant extracts in the fight against worms. Diploma thesis, University of Dusseldorf, Germany.Google Scholar
Arya, V., Yadav, S., Kumar, S. & Yadav, J.P. (2010) Antimicrobial effect of Cassia occidentalis L. (leaf) against various human pathogenic microbes. Life Sciences and Medicinal Research 9, 111.Google Scholar
Blair, K.L., Bennett, J.I. & Pax, R.A. (1993) Serotonin and acetylcholine: further analysis of praziquantel-induced contraction of magnesium-paralysed Schistosoma mansoni. Parasitology 107, 387395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cox, F.E.G. (1982) Modern parasitology. Oxford, Blackwell Scientific.Google Scholar
Das, B., Tandon, V. & Saha, N. (2004) Effect of phytochemicals of Flemingia vestita (Fabaceae) on glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and enzymes of gluconeogenesis in a cestode (Raillietina echinobothrida). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 139, 141146.Google Scholar
Dasgupta, S., Roy, B. & Tandon, V. (2010) Ultrastructural alterations of the tegument of Raillietina echinobothrida treated with the stem bark of Acacia oxyphylla (Leguminosae). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 127, 568571.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Desta, B. (1995) Ethiopian traditional herbal drugs. Part I: Studies on the toxicity and therapeutic activity of local taenicidal medications. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 45, 2733.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fischer, K. (2007) The effects of plant extracts on worm stages. Diploma thesis, University of Duesseldorf, Germany.Google Scholar
Grade, J.T., Tabuti, J.R.S., Van Damme, P. & Arble, B.L. (2007) Deworming efficacy of Albizia anthelmintica in Uganda: preliminary findings. African Journal of Ecology 45, 1820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hammond, J.A., Fielding, D. & Bishop, S.C. (1997) Prospects for plant anthelmintics in tropical veterinary medicine. Veterinary Research Communication 21, 213228.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hofilena, J.G., Ragasa, C.Y. & Rideout, J.A. (2000) An antimicrobial and antimutagenic anthraquinone from Cassia alata. ACGC Chemical Research Communication 10, 1520.Google Scholar
Hukkeri, V.I., Kalyani, G.A., Hatpaki, B.C. & Manvi, F.V. (1993) In vitro anthelmintic activity of aqueous extract of fruit of Punica granatum. Fitoterapia 64, 6970.Google Scholar
Ibrahim, D. & Osman, H. (1995) Antimicrobial activity of Cassia alata from Malaysia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 45, 151156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khan, M.R., Kihara, M. & Omoloso, A.D. (2001) Antimicrobial activity of Cassia alata. Fitoterapia 72, 561564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kirtikar, K.R. & Basu, B.D. (1975) Indian medicinal plants. 2nd edn. pp. 870872. Delhi, Jayyed Press.Google Scholar
Klimpel, S., Abdel-Ghaffar, F., Al-Rasheid, K.A.S., Aksu, G., Fischer, K., Strassen, B. & Mehlhorn, H. (2010) The effects of different plant extracts on nematodes. Parasitology Research 108, 10471054.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kochar, S.L. (1981) Tropical crops: A textbook of economic botany. International College edn.416 pp. London, McMillan.Google Scholar
Lyndem, L.M., Tandon, V. & Das, B. (2008) Anthelmintic efficacy of medicinal plants from Northeast India against hookworms: an in vitro study on Ancylostoma ceylanicum. Pharmacologyonline 3, 697707.Google Scholar
Makinde, A.A., Igoli, J.O., TA'Ama, L., Shaibu, S.J. & Garba, A. (2007) Antimicrobial activity of Cassia alata. African Journal of Biotechnology 6, 15091510.Google Scholar
Markoski, M.M., Trindade, E.S., Cabrera, G., Laschuk, A., Galanti, N., Zaha, A., Nader, H.B. & Ferreira, H.B. (2006) Praziquantel and albendazole damaging action on in vitro developing Mesocestoides corti (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda). Parasitology International 55, 5161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, R.J. (1985) γ-Aminobutyric acid and piperazine activated single channel currents from Ascaris suum body muscle. British Journal of Pharmacology 84, 445461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCorkle, C.M., Mathias, E. & Schillhorn van Veen, T.W. (Eds) (1996) Ethnoveterinary research and development. 339 pp. London, Intermediate Technology Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nandi, B., Roy, S., Bhattacharya, S. & Sinha Babu, S.P. (2004) Free radicals mediated membrane damage by the saponins Acaciaside A and Acaciaside B. Phytotherapy Research 18, 191194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pal, P. & Tandon, V. (1998a) Anthelmintic efficacy of Flemingia vestita (Leguminoceae): genistein induced alterations in the activity of tegumental enzymes in the cestode, Raillietina echinobothrida. Parasitology International 47, 233243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pal, P. & Tandon, V. (1998b) Anthelmintic efficacy of Flemingia vestita (Fabaceae): genistein induced alterations in the esterase activity in the cestode, Raillietina echinobothrida. Journal of Bioscience 23, 2531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palanichamy, S. & Nagarajan, S. (1990) Antifungal activity of Cassia alata leaf extract. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 29, 337340.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paria, N.D. (2005) Medicinal plant resources of South West Bengal. pp. 3940. Kolkata, Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal.Google Scholar
Peter, W. & Deogracious, O. (2006) The in vitro ascaricidal activity of selected indigenous medicinal plants used in ethno veterinary medicinal practices in Uganda. African Journal of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines 3, 94103.Google Scholar
Rahman, A.M.D. (1996) Pengenalan dan Penggunaan Herba Ubatan. 25 pp. Malaysia, Orient Press.Google Scholar
Roy, B. & Tandon, V. (1991) Usefulness of tetramethylsilane in the preparation of helminth parasites for scanning electron microscopy. Rivista Di Parassitologia 8, 207215.Google Scholar
Soffar, S.A. & Mokhtar, G.M. (1991) Evaluation of the antiparasitic effect of aqueous garlic (Allium sativum extract in Hymenolepis nana and Giardiasis). Journal of Egyptian Society of Parasitology 21, 497502.Google ScholarPubMed
Somchit, M.N., Reezal, I., Elysha Nur, I. & Mutalib, A.R. (2003) In vitro antimicrobial activity of ethanol and water extracts of Cassia alata. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 84, 14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tagboto, S. & Townson, S. (2001) Antiparasitic properties of medicinal plants and other naturally occurring products. Advances in Parasitology 50, 199295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tandon, V., Pal, P., Roy, B., Rao, H.S.P. & Reddy, K.S. (1997) In vitro anthelmintic activity of root tuber extract of Flemingia vestita, an indigenous plant in Shillong, India. Parasitology Research 83, 492498.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tandon, V., Lyndem, L.M., Kar, P.K., Pal, P. & Das, B. (2004) Anthelmintic efficacy of extract of Stephania glabra and aerial root extract of Tricosanthes multiloba in vitro: two indigenous plants in Shillong. Indian Journal of Parasitic Diseases 28, 3744.Google Scholar
Tangpu, V., Temjenmongla, & Yadav, A.K. (2006) Anticestodal efficacy of Psidium guajava against experimental Hymenolepis diminuta infection in rats. Indian Journal of Pharmacology 38, 2932.Google Scholar
Tariq, K.A., Chishti, M.Z., Ahmad, F. & Shawl, A.S. (2008) Anthelmintic efficacy of Achillea millifolium against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep: in vitro and in vivo studies. Journal of Helminthology 82, 227233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Temjenmongla, & Yadav, A.K. (2005) Anticestodal efficacy of folklore medicinal plants of Naga tribes in North-east India. African Journal of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines 2, 129133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Von Bingen, H. (1974) Naturkunde – reproduction of a medieval book. 2nd edn.Salzburg, Mueller-Wiss.Google Scholar
Xiao, P. & Fu, S.C. (1986) Traditional antiparasitic drugs in China. Parasitology Today 2, 353355.Google Scholar