In vitro anthelmintic potential of Vernonia amygdalina and Secamone africana on gastrointestinal nematodes

Abstract

In-vitro studies were conducted to determine the anthelmintic activity of ethanolic and water extracts of Vernonia amygdalina and Secamone africana used by agro-pastoralists in semi-arid land Uganda. The plant materials were collected from Nakasongola district and extracted using 70% ethanol and water. Efficacy and potency of crude extracts was determined using extracts’ serial dilutions ranging 4mg/ml to 64mg/ml parallel to serial dilutions of albendazole ranging: 6.25100mg/ml in three replicates. Ascaris suum model was used for the assays. Standard phytochemical methods were used for qualitative phytochemical analysis. The plants’ extracts caused a dose-dependent motility inhibition with highest concentration of both ethanolic and water extracts of V.amygdalina causing 90% inhibition compared with 100% inhibition caused by albendazole. The corresponding median effective doses of ethanolic, water and albendazole were 5.94mg/ml, 13.70mg/ml and 15.12mg/ml respectively and significantly differed (F(2, 53) =257.43, p=0.001). There was a significant difference in motility inhibition in all dose levels (F(5, 53) = 14.01, P = 0.001; R 2 = 0.93). Similarly, the water and ethanolic extracts of S.africana caused a 93.3% and 80% motility inhibition with median effective doses of 40.08mg/ml and 25.41mg/ml respectively which also significantly differed (F(2, 53) =183.26, p= 0.001). There was also a highly significant difference in motility inhibition in all dose levels (F(5, 53) = 8.00, P = 0.001; R