Abstract
In the present study, chloroform, aqueous, (polyethylene glycol/propylene carbonate) PEG/PC extracts were made from coconut, onion, garlic, fig, date tree, chicory, ananas, and cistrose. These extracts were tested in vivo and in vitro on their anthelmintic activity against cestodes (Hymenolepis diminuta, H. microstoma, Taenia taeniaeformis) and trematodes (Fasciola hepatica, Echinostoma caproni). In all in vitro tests, the target parasites died. It turned out that the treatment of mice and rats with a combination of onion and coconut extracts (with PEG/PC) eliminated all cestodes from their final hosts. In addition, the same composition was effective against the intestinal fluke E. caproni, but not against the liver fluke F. hepatica in the final host, while both worms were killed in vitro. Inoculation of fluids of coconut eliminated T. taeniaeformis tapeworms from naturally infected cats. This goal was not reached with oil of cistrose.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abu-El-Ezz NM (2005) Effects of Nigella sativa and Allium cepa oils on Trichinella spiralis in experimentally infected rats. J Egypt Soc Parasitol 35:511–523
Aksu G (2009) Plant extracts in the fight against worms. Diploma thesis, Duesseldorf, Germany
Desta B (1995) Ethiopian traditional herbal drugs. Part I: studies on the toxicity and therapeutic activity of local taenicidal medications. J Ethnopharmacol 45:27–33
Eckert J, Friedhoff KT, Zahner H, Deplazes P (2008) Lehrbuch der Parasitologie für die Tiermedizin, 2nd edn. Enke, Stuttgart
Fischer K (2007) The effects of plant extracts on worm stages. Diploma thesis, University of Duesseldorf
Hukkeri VI, Kalyani GA, Hatpaki BC, Manvi FV (1993) In vitro anthelminthic activity of aqueous extract of fruit rind of Punica granatum. Fitotherapia 64:69–70
Hussain A, Khan MN, Igbal Z, Sajid MS (2008) An account of the botanical anthelmintics used in traditional veterinary practices in Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan. J Ethnopharmacol 119:185–190
Klimpel S, Abdel-Ghaffar F, AL-Rasheid KAS, Aksu G, Fischer K, Strassen B, Mehlhorn H (2010) The effects of different plant extracts on nematodes. Parasitol Res (in press)
Mehlhorn H (2008) Enyclopedia of parasitology, 3rd edn. Springer, New York
Mehlhorn H, Düwel D, Raether W (1993) Diagnosis and therapy of parasitosis of house and farm animals (in German), 2nd edn. G Fischer, Stuttgart
Mehlhorn H, Eichenlaub D, Löscher T, Peters W (1995) Diagnosis and therapy of the parasites of men (in German), 2nd edn. G. Fischer, Stuttgart
Mehlhorn H, Al-Quaraishy S, Al-Rasheid KAS, Jatzlau A, Abdel-Ghaffar F (2010) Addition of a combination of onion (Allium cepa) and coconut (Cocos nucifera) to food of sheep stops gastrointestinal helminthic infections. Parasitol Res (in press)
Oliveira LMB, Bevilagne CML, Cosha CZC et al (2009) Anthelminthic activity of Cocos nucifera L. against sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. Vet Parasitol 159:55–59
Semmler M, Abdel-Ghaffar F, Al-Rasheid KAS, Mehlhorn H (2009) Nature helps: from research to products against blood-sucking arthropods. Parasitol Res 105:1483–1487
Soffar SA, Mokhtar GM (1991) Evaluation of the antiparasitic effect of aqueous garlic (Allium sativum extract in Hymenolepis nana and Giardiasis). J Egypt Soc Parasitol 21:497–502
Strassen B (2007) Cocos nucifera Investigations on the efficacy of extracts on parasites. (in German) PhD thesis, University of Düsseldorf
Tagboto S, Townson S (2001) Antiparasitic properties of medical plants and other naturally occurring products. Adv Parasitol 50:199–295
Tandon V, Pal P, Roy B, Rao HPS, Reddy LES (1997) In vitro anthelmintic activity of root-tuber extract of Flemingia vestita, an indigenous plant in Shillong, India. Parasitol Res 83:492–498
von Bingen H (1974) Naturkunde—reproduction of a medieval book, 2nd edn. Mueller–Wiss, Buchgesellschaft, Salzburg)
Xiao P, Fu SC (1986) Traditional antiparasitic drugs in China. Parasitol Today 2:353–355
Acknowledgments
Hereby, we gratefully acknowledge the thorough work of Mrs. Susanne Walter and Tim Mehlhorn, preparing the final versions of the text. Furthermore, we thank cordially the Centre of Excellence (College of Science) of the King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi- Arabia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abdel-Ghaffar, F., Semmler, M., Al-Rasheid, K.A.S. et al. The effects of different plant extracts on intestinal cestodes and on trematodes. Parasitol Res 108, 979–984 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2167-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2167-5