Anthelmintic Activity of Aqueous and Alcoholic Extracts of Carica papaya Seeds in Naturally Infested Goats

Abstract

Background: Gastro-intestinal parasitism is an important worldwide animal ailment causing heavy production losses in grazing animals and it is more prevalent in developing countries like India, mainly due to warm temperature in association with poor management practices and inadequate control measures. It can affect production through weight loss, diarrhoea, anaemia, reduction in milk and wool production, reproduction changes and mortality in case of heavy infestations. The current study was planned to evaluate the in vivo anthelmintic activity of extracts of Carica papaya seeds in naturally-infested goats. Methods: Twenty-four helminth-infested goats of either sex were randomly divided into four treatment groups (T1-T4); each having six goats and T1 served as untreated control while T2 received a single dose of albendazole @ 7.5 mg/kg body weight on day zero. Group T3 and T4 were respectively treated with aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Carica papaya seeds @ 100 mg/kg body weight orally daily for 30 days. Faecal egg count, haematological estimations and biochemical estimations were conducted on the zero, 10th, 20th and 30th day of the experiment. Result: Group T2, T3 and T4, showed a significant reduction in EPG count following treatment. All treated animals showed a significant increase in Hb, TEC, PCV and lymphocytes and a significant decrease in TLC, neutrophil and eosinophil levels on the 20th and 30th days of the experiment. The results indicated possession of good anthelmintic activity by both extracts with better results from the alcoholic extract of Carica papaya seeds. These herbal extracts can be a safe and therapeutically efficacious alternative to standard chemical drugs.