In vitro screening for anthelmintic and antitumour activity of ethnomedicinal plants from Thailand

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2009.03.010Get rights and content

Abstract

Aim of study

This study screened for anthelmintic and/or antitumour bioactive compounds from Thai indigenous plants and evaluated effectiveness against three different worm species and two cancer cell lines.

Materials and methods

Methylene chloride and methanol extracts of 32 plant species were screened for in vitro anthelmintic activity against three species of worms, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the digeneans Paramphistomum epiclitum and Schistosoma mansoni (cercariae). Cytotoxicity of the extracts was evaluated against two cancer cell lines: human amelanotic melanoma (C32) and human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) by the SRB assay. Anthelmintic and anticancer activities were evaluated by the inhibiting concentration at 50% death (IC50) and the selectivity index (SI) relative to human fibroblasts.

Results and conclusions

None of the extracts were active against Paramphistomum epiclitum. Plumbagin, a pure compound from Plumbago indica, had the strongest activity against Caenorhabditis elegans. The methylene chloride extract of Piper chaba fruits had the strongest activity against schistosome cercariae. Strong cytotoxicity was shown by the methylene chloride extract of Michelia champaca bark and the methanol extract of Curcuma longa rhizome against C32 and HeLa, respectively. These extracts had higher SI (>100) than positive controls in relation to either the worms or the cell lines. The methanol extract of Bouea burmanica had a slightly lower activity towards C32 cells than did Michelia champaca but had a much higher SI (>27,000).

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The plant species screened in this research was recorded by several indigenous medicinal practitioners as antiparasitic, anticancer and/or related activities to the human major organ system.

Introduction

Helminthic parasite infections are global problems with serious social and economic repercussions in the Third World countries. The diseases affect the health status of a large fraction of the human population as well as animals (Bull et al., 2007). Some type of dangerous helminthic infections like filariasis has only a few therapeutic modalities at present (Bradley and Kumaraswami, 2004). Although anthelmintic drugs are effective for the treatment and control of many helminthic diseases, recent treatment failures have occurred apparently due to the development of genetic resistance in nematodes and schistosomes (Geerts and Gryseels, 2000, William et al., 2001). The continuous and long-term reliance on a small range of compounds has led to the development of drug resistance in many helminthic strains (Bull et al., 2007). In addition, after treatment with albendazole or mebendazole, several side effects have been reported in hosts such as gastrointestinal symptoms (epigastric pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting), nervous system symptoms (headache, dizziness), and allergic phenomena (edema, rashes, urticaria) (Albonico et al., 1994). Some anthelmintic drugs, such as praziquantel and albendazole, are contraindicated for certain groups of patients like pregnant and lactating woman (Savioli et al., 2003). These drugs have also to be used with caution in hepatitis patients and in children below 2 years of age (Pianpadung et al., 2000).

The present research is thus motivated by the need to find new substances of natural origin which possess anthelmintic and antitumour activities with a low degree of toxicity for humans. This study screened for anthelmintic and/or antitumour bioactive compounds from Thai indigenous plants and evaluated effectiveness against three different worm species and two cancer cell lines. The potential therapeutic index of these activities was assessed with a parallel selectivity assay with a normal human cell line.

Section snippets

Plant materials and the preparation of crude extracts

Many plant samples (Table 1) were collected from the forest and suburban areas near Chiang Mai City, Thailand. Some of the plant materials were purchased from the city market. All the plant samples were identified by Mr. J.D. Maxwell and Dr. Pranee Palee, the curators at the Herbarium and Flora Database Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Herbarium and Flora Database Laboratory or at the Human and Animal Cell Technology Research

Results

Detailed IC50 values and the selectivity indices (SI) of the extracts are shown in Table 2, Table 3, respectively.

Discussion

Several species of the plants investigated in this study were indicated by Wuttidhammaved (1997) to have antiparasitic and antitumour activity. Others were introduced by personal communication from indigenous practitioners (see Table 1).

Acknowledgements

This research has been supported by the Thailand Research Found (TRF), grant# MRG4580016. The research student fellowship was provided by the Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (TGIST), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand. This project was a part of the “Novel Anthelminthic Secondary Compound Ex Northern Thailand” (NASCENT) project in a collaboration between the Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Thailand and King's College London,

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