In vitro screening of medicinal plant extracts for macrofilaricidal activity.
Methanolic extracts of 20 medicinal plants were screened at 1-10 mg/ml for in vitro macrofilaricidal activity by worm motility assay against adult Setaria digitata, the cattle filarial worm. Four plant extracts showed macrofilaricidal activity by worm motility at concentrations below 4 mg/ml and an incubation period of 100 min. Complete inhibition of worm motility and subsequent mortality was observed at 3, 2, 1 and 1 mg/ml, respectively, for Centratherum anthelminticum, Cedrus deodara, Sphaeranthus indicus and Ricinus communis. 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay was carried out at 1 mg ml(-1) and 4-h incubation period, and the results showed that C. deodara, R. communis, S. indicus and C. anthelminticum exhibited 86.56, 72.39, 61.20 and 43.15% inhibition respectively in formazan formation compared to the control.
Nisha
Mathew
M
Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR), Indira Nagar, Pondicherry, 605006, India. nishamathew@yahoo.com
Kalyanasundaram
M
M
Paily
K P
KP
Abidha
Vanamail
P
P
Balaraman
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D027343:Rhizome / Q000737:chemistry; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D017182:Setaria Nematode / Q000187:drug effects*; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry
D000871:Anthelmintics; D010936:Plant Extracts