Evaluation of in vitro anthelmintic, cytotoxic, antimicrobial and thrombolytic activities of <i>Ipomoea hederifolia</i> stem

Abstract

<i>Ipomoea hederifolia</i>, a member of the convolvulaceae family, is an annual climbing ornamental vine with wide range of pharmacological activities. The methanolic extract of powdered <i>Ipomoea hederifolia</i> stem was subjected to evaluate the<i> in-vitro</i> anthelmintic, cytotoxic, antibacterial and thrombolytic potentials. The disc-diffusion technique explored the antibacterial activity of <i>Ipomoea hederifolia</i> stem extract (IHSE) against six detrimental microorganisms. Anthelmintic and thrombolytic potentials were assessed using earthworms and human erythrocytes as test samples. Moreover, a brine shrimp lethality bioassay procedure was applied to determine cytotoxic activity. The methanolic IHSE demonstrated statistically significant (<i>p < 0.05</i>) anthelminthic potential in a dose-dependent fashion. In the brine shrimp lethality assay, IHSE depicted a sharp soar in the death rate of brine shrimp nauplii, and 50% (LC<sub>50</sub>) of nauplii died at 4.544 µg/mL of IHSE. Moreover, the IHSE revealed moderate clot lysis activity in a dose-dependent manner; the highest clot lysis was 37.167± 2.40% at 20 mg/mL (<i>p < 0.05</i>). However, no significant antimicrobial activity was observed for IHSE. Based on the findings, our investigation suggests that the methanol fraction of IHSE possesses substantial anthelmintic, cytotoxic and thrombolytic potentials, and the plant could be deemed as a probable hub for future drug discovery.