Anticestodal properties of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (Malvaceae): an in vitro and in vivo study against Hymenolepis diminuta (Rudolphi, 1819), a zoonotic tapeworm.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo anticestodal effects of methanol extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (Malvaceae) leaf against Hymenolepis diminuta (Rudolphi, 1819), a zoonotic tapeworm. Under the in vitro study, H. diminuta worms were exposed to 10, 20 and 40mg/ml concentrations of methanol leaf extract and the effects were judged on the basis of physical motility/mortality of worms. On the other hand, in the case of in vivo study, H. diminuta infected rats were treated individually with 200, 400 and 800mg/kg doses of leaf extract for 5days. The effects were judged on the basis of reduction in eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces and worm counts. In case of in vitro test, the treatment with 40mg/ml concentration of extract revealed prominent anticestodal effect and caused paralysis of worms in 3.00±0.53h and mortality in 4.08±0.21h. However, under in vivo study, the 800mg/kg dose of extract revealed the highest anticestodal effect and caused 66.55% reduction in EPG count and 75.00% reduction in worm count in the treated animals. The results of this study indicated that H. rosa-sinesis leaf extract possesses concentration-dependent anticestodal effect against H. diminuta, indicating that the plant possesses promising active principle for the control of intestinal helminthic infections.