Screening of microfilaricidal effects of plant extracts against Dirofilaria immitis
Canine dirofilariasis is a common tropical parasitic disease of companion animals, caused by infestation of Dirofilaria immitis filarids within the pulmonary arteries and extending into the right heart. Increased reports of adverse reactions elicited by current microfilaricidal agents against D. i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2010
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/6328/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/6328/1/Screening%20of%20microfilaricidal%20effects%20of%20plant%20extracts%20against%20Dirofilaria%20immitis.pdf |
| Summary: | Canine dirofilariasis is a common tropical parasitic disease of companion animals, caused by infestation
of Dirofilaria immitis filarids within the pulmonary arteries and extending into the right heart. Increased
reports of adverse reactions elicited by current microfilaricidal agents against D. immitis such as neurological
disorders, circulatory collapse and potential resistance against these agents, warrant the search for
new agents in forms of plant extracts. The use of plant extracts in therapeutic medicine is commonly met
with scepticism by the veterinary community, thus the lack of focus on its medical potential. This study
evaluated the presence of microfilaricidal activities of the aqueous extracts of Zingiber officinale, Andrographis
paniculata and Tinospora crispa Miers on D. immitis in vitro at different concentrations; 10 mg/ml,1 mg/ml, 100 lg/ml, 10 lg/ml and 1 lg/ml within 24 h, by evaluation of relative microfilarial motility as a measure of microfilaricidal activity. All extracts showed microfilaricidal activity with Z. officinale exhibiting
the strongest activity overall, followed by A. paniculata and T. crispa Miers. It is speculated that the
microfilaricidal mechanism exhibited by these extracts is via spastic paralysis based upon direct observation
of the microfilarial motility. |
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