title: In vitro antihelmintic effect of fifteen tropical plant extracts on excysted flukes of Fasciola hepatica.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fasciolosis due to Fasciola hepatica is the most important hepatic disease in veterinary medicine. Its relevance is important because of the major economical losses to the cattle industry such as: reduction in milk, meat and wool production; miscarriages, anemia, liver condemnation and occasionally deaths, are estimated in billons of dollars. The emergence of fluke resistance due to over or under dosing of fasciolides as well as environmental damage produced by the chemicals eliminated in field have stimulated the need for alternative methods to control Fasciola hepatica. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic effect of fifteen tropical plant extracts used in tradicional Mexican medicine, on newly excysted flukes of Fasciola hepatica.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The flukes were exposed in triplicate at 500, 250 and 125 mg/L to each extract. The efficacy was assessed as the mortality rate based on the number of live and dead flukes after 24, 48 and 72 h post-exposure. The plants with anthelmintic effect were evaluated once again with a concentration of 375 mg/L in order to confirm the results and to calculate lethal concentrations at 50%, 90% and 99% (LC(50), LC(90), and LC(99)). Plant extracts of Lantana camara, Bocconia frutescens, Piper auritum, Artemisia mexicana and Cajanus cajan had an in vitro anthelmintic effect (P <0.05). The LC(50), LC(90) and LC(99) to A. mexicana, C. cajan and B. frutescens were 92.85, 210.44 and 410.04 mg/L, 382.73, 570.09 and 788.9 mg/L and 369.96, 529.94 and 710.34 mg/L, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that five tropical plant extracts had promising anthelmintic effects against F. hepatica. Further studies on toxicity and in vivo biological evaluation in ruminant models might help to determine the anthelmintic potential of these plant extracts.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Cd. Universitaria, C.P. 04510, México, DF, Mexico. mvz.alvarezmjm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Mercado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Cd. Universitaria, C.P. 04510, México, DF, Mexico. ibarraf@unam.mx.
authors.forename: Froylán
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ibarra-Velarde
authors.affiliation: Centro de Enseñanza Investigación y Extensión en Ganadería Tropical, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Km. 5.5, Carretera Federal Tlapacoyan-Martínez de la Torre, C.P. 93600, Veracruz, Mexico. alonsodma@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Alonso-Díaz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Cd. Universitaria, C.P. 04510, México, DF, Mexico. vemonty@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vera-Montenegro
authors.affiliation: Lab. de Fitoquímica, UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM, Avenida de los Barrios 1, C.P. 54090, Edo. de México, Mexico. tuncomaclovio2000@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: José Guillermo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Avila-Acevedo
authors.affiliation: Lab. de Fitoquímica, UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM, Avenida de los Barrios 1, C.P. 54090, Edo. de México, Mexico. boresana@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: García-Bores
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019306:Artemisia / Q000737:chemistry; D036561:Cajanus / Q000737:chemistry; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000187:drug effects*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D032410:Lantana / Q000737:chemistry; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D031701:Piper / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D010936:Plant Extracts