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In vitro trematocidal effects of crude alcoholic extracts of Artemisia annua, A. absinthium, Asimina triloba, and Fumaria officinalis

Trematocidal plant alcoholic extracts

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Abstract

Trematode infections negatively affect human and livestock health, and threaten global food safety. The only approved human anthelmintics for trematodiasis are triclabendazole and praziquantel with no alternative drugs in sight. We tested six crude plant extracts against adult Schistosoma mansoni, Fasciola hepatica, and Echinostoma caproni in vitro. Mortality was best achieved by ethanolic extracts of Artemisia annua (sweet Annie), Asimina triloba (paw-paw), and Artemisia absinthium (wormwood) which, at 2 mg/mL, killed S. mansoni and E. caproni in 20 h or less (except for wormwood), F. hepatica between 16 and 23 h (sweet Annie), or 40 h (paw-paw). Some extracts were active at 0.2 mg/mL and 20 μg/mL, although more time was required to kill trematodes. However, aqueous A. annua and methanol extracts of Fumaria officinalis had no activity. Chromatographic analysis of the three best extracts established that A. annua and A. triloba extracts contained bioactive artemisinin and acetogenins (asimicin and bullatacin), respectively. The anthelmintic activity of our extracts at such low doses indicates that their anthelmintic activity deserves further testing as natural alternative controls for parasites of both animals and humans. Our results also support recent evidence that synergistic effects of multiple bioactive compounds present in crude plant extracts is worth exploring.

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Acknowledgments

J. Keiser is grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for financial support (project no. PPOOA-114941). Acknowledgments are also due to Mr. Barry Harter (USDA-ARS) for the preparation of the crude plant extracts and assistance with graph preparation, to Mr. Robert Arnold for F. officinalis cultivation, and to Mrs. Mireille Vargas for expert help with the in vitro studies.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the convenience of the reader and does not imply endorsement of the US Department of Agriculture over similar products. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA-ARS, Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center, 1224 Airport Rd., Beaver, WV, 25813, USA

    Jorge F. S. Ferreira

  2. Nature Sunshine Products, 1655 North Main St., Spanish Fork, UT, 84660, USA

    Paul Peaden

  3. Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4003, Basel, Switzerland

    Jennifer Keiser

  4. University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Jennifer Keiser

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  1. Jorge F. S. Ferreira
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  2. Paul Peaden
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Correspondence to Jorge F. S. Ferreira.

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Ferreira, J.F.S., Peaden, P. & Keiser, J. In vitro trematocidal effects of crude alcoholic extracts of Artemisia annua, A. absinthium, Asimina triloba, and Fumaria officinalis . Parasitol Res 109, 1585–1592 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2418-0

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