Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology

Abstract

In vitro Effects of Some Thai Anthelmintic Plants on Mortality and Change of Tegumental Surface of Stellantchasmus falcatus

Kittisak Buddhachat, Kittichai Chantima, Siriwadee Chomdej and Chalobol Wongsawad

Several Thai herbs have been used to treatment of parasite infection according to the Thai Pharmacopoeia. To verify their anthelmintic activity scientifically, Stellantchasmus falcatus was used as model to test their activity. The activity of aqueous extracts of papaya (Carica papaya Linn.) seeds and bitter cucumber (Mormordica charantia Linn.) fruits were studied by using mortality and tegumental surface change on S. falcatus. The worms were incubated in 12.5%, 50% and 100% (0.47, 1.88 and 3.15 mg/ml for papaya seed extract respectively, 7.5, 30 and 60 mg/ml for bitter cucumber extract, respectively) aqueous herbal extracts and in Tyrode’s solution as control. As a result, the aqueous extract of papaya seeds tended to have more anthelmintic activity than that of bitter cucumber fruits due to much less concentration of papaya seed extract was required to kill the total worms than the bitter cucumber fruit extract. Besides, scanning electron microscopic was performed to observe change of tegumental surface of dead worm treated by those extracts. Consequently, those worms treated with aqueous extract of papaya seeds showed loss of spine, especially around the oral sucker and posterior region; whereas curving at the edge of the spines, blebbing and rupturing at the body surface were observed in the worms exposed to both papaya seed and bitter cucumber fruit extracts. The aqueous extracts of papaya seeds and bitter cucumber fruits have anthelmintic activity which can be used in treatment of parasite infection.