In vitro Evaluation of Anthelmintic Activities of Crude Extracts of Selected Medicinal Plants Against Haemonchus Contortus in Alemgena Wereda, Ethiopia

The present study was carried out to evaluate the anthelmintic activities of crude aqueous and methanol extracts of leaves of Myrsine Africana, Rhus glabrous, Jasminum abysinicum, Rhus vulgaris, Acokanthera schimperi and aerial parts of Foenicum vulgare on nematode parasite, Heamonchus contortus. For this purpose, Egg Hatch Test (EHT) and Larval Development Test (LDT) were conducted on nematodes ova to investigate the in vitro ovicidal and larvicidal effects of crude extracts. Significant variation in yield among different plant species with different methods of extraction was observed. The highest yield was recorded for methanol extract of A. schimperi leaves (36,93%) and lowest yield for methanol extract was observed with R. glabrous leaves (4.8%). The highest yield for aqueous extraction was that of leaves of F. vulgare leaves which was (22.17%) and lowest yield for aqueous extraction was that of A. schimperi leaves (1.72%). Of all tested plants, both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of aerial part of F. vulgare showed best performance, producing nearly 100% egg hatch inhibition at concentration of 1mg/ml while none of the other plants were able to induce complete inhibition even at concentration of 2mg/ml. The performance of aqueous and methanol extracts of most plants were significantly different (p<0.05) except that of F. vulgare were both extracts induced nearly similar effect. In general, all used plants in the current study induced over 50% inhibition of egg hatch of H. contortus at highest used concentration (2mg/ml). Albendazole required a maximum concentration (0.25µg/ml) to induce 100% egg hatch inhibition. The effective doses required to induce 50% and 90% (ED and ED ) inhibition of egg hatching were calculated by probit analysis. Of all 50 90 investigated plants, both extracts of F. vulgare induced 50% inhibition of egg hatching at lower concentrations (0.24 and 0.27 mg/ml) for aqueous and alcoholic extracts, respectively. Aqueous extract of R. vulgaris and alcoholic extract of A. schimperi have also performed the next remarkable inhibition of egg hatching at concentration of 0.64 and 0.85 mg/ml, respectively. Of all plants, alcoholic extract of R. glabrous induced 50% inhibition at higher concentration. ED value for the aqueous and methanol extracts of most plants in the 50 current study did not show statistically significant variation. ED for egg hatch inhibition of Albendazole was 50 0. 09µg/ml. Both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of most plants had shown variable effect on development of larvae of H. contortus. The highest larval development inhibition observed was for alcoholic extract of R. glabrous (97.7%) while the least effective plant was aqueous extract of R. vulgaris (10%) at the maximum tested concentration. Despite high dose required to inhibit larval development, except for both extracts of R. vulgaris, almost all plant extracts induced dose dependent inhibition of larval development. Unlike the effect of plants on egg hatching, there was statistically significant variation in activity of aqueous and methanol extracts of most plants (p<0.05) at most tested concentrations. In most cases, alcoholic extracts are more effective than their aqueous counterparts.