Evaluation of anthelmintic efficacy of Moringa oleifera and Embelia ribes against Haemonchus contortus.

In this study, the anthelmintic potential of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera leaves and Embelia ribes seeds was evaluated against Haemonchus contortus by both in vitro (egg hatch assay, EHA; larval development assay, LDA; and adult mortality assay, AMA) and in vivo assays (faecal egg count reduction test, FECRT). Ethanolic extract of M. oleifera (MOEE) exhibited maximum inhibitory effects on egg hatching (87.77%) and larval development (86.97%) along with complete adult mortality (100% after 12 hours of incubation) @ 16.0 mg/mL and 32.0 mg/mL, respectively. However, ethanolic extract of E. ribes (EREE) @ 16.0 mg/mL concentration exhibited poor ovicidal (22.69%) but moderate larvicidal (77.90%) and adulticidal (80% mortality after 12 hours of incubation) effects. In EHA, MOEE showed a moderate IC50 of 5.721 mg/mL, while EREE failed to achieve 50% inhibition at tested concentrations (1-32 mg/mL). For the LDA, both MOEE and EREE exhibited moderate IC50 values of 4.131 mg/mL and 2.882 mg/mL, respectively. The aqueous extract of M. oleifera (MOAE) exhibited highest inhibitory effect on egg hatching (89.12%), larval development (89.94%), and also caused significant mortality (100%) of adult H. contortus in comparison to the standard drugs and other plant extracts evaluated in this study. In contrast, ERAE showed no significant effect on egg hatching or adult worm viability but notably inhibited larval development (86.97%). Both of the plant extracts contained phytochemicals like phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, and alkaloids with anthelmintic properties. Further, in vivo trial using MOAE @ 150 mg/kg BW exhibited 72.42% FEC reduction on day 10 post-treatment as compared to fenbendazole (70.92%) and levamisole (89.01%) treated groups. The MOAE appeared effective in combating the resistant H. contortus worms. This study formed a base for further in vivo evaluation of anthelmintic efficacy of the mixture of Moringa and Embelia extracts and to standardise the optimum concentration and dose for its field applicability against GI parasitism in animals.