Abstract
BackgroundParallel in vitro and in vivo experiments were designed to evaluate promising chemotherapeutic alternatives for controlling haemonchosis in ruminants. In vitro anthelmintic activities (egg hatch test – EHT; larval development test – LDT) of aqueous and methanolic herbal extracts Mix1 and Mix2 were investigated. The in vivo effects of dietary supplementation with Mix1 and Mix2 on the parasitological status, inflammatory response, antioxidant parameters and microbial community of the lambs infected experimentally with Haemonchus contortus were investigated. Lambs were divided into four groups for the in vivo study: uninfected control lambs (C), infected lambs (I), infected lambs supplemented with Mix1 (I + Mix1) and infected lambs supplemented with Mix2 (I + Mix2). The experimental period was 70 days.ResultsThe number of eggs per gram (EPG) of feces was quantified 22, 30, 37, 44, 51, 58, 65 and 70 days post-infection, and mean abomasal worm counts were assessed 70 days post-infection. Quantitative analyses identified 57.3 and 22.2 mg/g phenolic acids, 41.5 and 29.5 mg/g flavonoids and 1.4 and 1.33 mg/g protoberberine-type alkaloids in Mix1 and Mix2, respectively. The methanolic extracts of the herbal mixtures in both in vitro tests had higher anthelmintic effects (P < 0.01) than the aqueous extracts, but the effects did not differ significantly between Mix1 and Mix2 (P > 0.05). I + Mix1 and I + Mix2 lowered mean EPGs between 44 and 70 d by 58.1 and 51.6%, respectively. The level of IgG antibodies against H. contortus increased significantly after infection in each infected group.ConclusionThese results represent the first monitoring of the in vitro anthelmintic effects of herbal mixtures on H. contortus. The in vivo experiment indicated that the anthelmintic effect was not sufficient for the elimination of parasites, but this herbal treatment may affect the host over a longer term, reducing the parasitic infection in the host.
Highlights
Parallel in vitro and in vivo experiments were designed to evaluate promising chemotherapeutic alternatives for controlling haemonchosis in ruminants
The eggs per gram (EPG) in the lambs treated with infected animals with herbal mixture 1 (Mix1) and infected animals with herbal mixture 2 (Mix2) decreased from D44 until the end of the experiment
The egg-output data indicated that mean EPG decreased between D44 and D70 for I + Mix1 and I + Mix2, by 58.1 and 51.6%, respectively
Summary
Parallel in vitro and in vivo experiments were designed to evaluate promising chemotherapeutic alternatives for controlling haemonchosis in ruminants. The in vivo effects of dietary supplementation with Mix and Mix on the parasitological status, inflammatory response, antioxidant parameters and microbial community of the lambs infected experimentally with Haemonchus contortus were investigated. Infection by the GIN Haemonchus contortus is mainly controlled by chemoprophylaxis by the repeated application of anthelmintics, which has led to Mravčáková et al BMC Veterinary Research (2019) 15:302 mainly have anthelmintic [15, 16] and antioxidative and anti-inflammatory [17, 18] properties. The ability of the host to resist GIN infections depends on the development of a protective acquired immune response [20]. Interactions between intestinal parasites, microbial communities and immune systems play a relevant role in modulating each other and in the maintenance of homeostasis [21]
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