In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Acacia Oxyphylla: Changes in the Levels of Trace Elements and Activities of the Tegumental Enzymes of the Cestode, Raillietina Echinobothrida

The crude alcoholic extract of the stem bark of Acacia oxyphylla, an indigenous anthelmintic plant among the Mizo tribes of north-east India, have been demonstrated to exhibit profound anthelmintic effects on the avian gastrointestinal cestode, Raillietina echinobothrida. To further investigate the efficacy of the plant extract with a view to understanding the mode of action, vital trace elements and tegumental enzymes of the parasite were studied. In vitro treatment of the helminth parasite with the ethanol, methanol and acetone extracts of the plant at a concentration each of 20 mg ml indicated significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the levels of important trace metals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. The enzymatic activities of the predominant tegumental enzymes such as acid phosphatase (AcPase) and alkaline phosphatase (AlkPase) were also significantly diminished. The anthelmintic effects were somewhat comparable to that of the standard reference drug, albendazole. The overall results indicate that the anthelmintic potency increases in the order albendazole>ethanol extract>methanol extract>acetone extract in bringing about the biochemical alterations. It also becomes ostensibly apparent that albendazole and the plant extracts act transtegumentally to induce flaccid paralysis of the worms.