Antiallergic, anthelmintic and cytotoxic potentials of dried aerial parts of Acanthus ilicifolius L.

Antiallergic activity was carried out using Toluene 2, 4-diisocyanate (TDI)-induced allergic mice model by assessing various symptoms of allergic rhinitis like sneezing, scratching, swelling and watery rhinorrhea as well as counting the total and differential leukocytes profile of blood. The paralysis and death time of parasites, Haemonchus contortus (Nematoda) and Paramphistomum cervi (Trematoda) were used for anthelmintic activity test. Mortality of mice was counted to evaluate the acute toxicity whereas the mortality of brine shrimp was taken into account to assess cytotoxic potential of the extract.

Phytochemical screening of the extract demonstrated the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, steroids and triterpenoids. Oral pretreatment of the extract significantly ameliorated the TDI-induced allergic symptoms like sneezing (p < 0.05), scratching (p < 0.05), swelling and watery rhinorrhea in experimental mice. The extract also reduced the differential count of leukocytes in the blood which was increased due to induction of allergic conditions through TDI sensitization. In anthelmintic activity test the extract revealed a dose dependent decrease in the relative index of paralysis and death for both H. contortus and P. cervi parasites and thus indicated the extract to be parasiticidal at higher concentrations. In brine shrimp lethality bioassay of toxicity assessment, the LC₅₀ of the standard drug vincristine sulfate was 0.43 μg/mL whereas the extract showed the LC₅₀ as 44.57 μg/mL indicating a promising cytotoxicity of the extract. In acute toxicity study the highest dose 3 g/kg failed to show any mortality in Swiss albino mice and thus confirmed the safety of the extract for in vivo administration.