Potential anthelmintic activity of Pelargonium endlicherianum Fenzl.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The decoction prepared from the roots of Pelargonium endlicherianum Fenzl. has been used for the treatment of gastrointestinal parasitism in small ruminants in Turkish Folk Medicine.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study is to investigate in vitro anthelmintic activity of the extracts prepared from the roots of Pelargonium endlicherianum Fenzl. (Geraniaceae).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: So as to determine the potential anthelmintic effect of the roots of the plant, n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) extracts were successively prepared. In vitro test methods were used for the determination of the anthelmintic effect of the extracts on eggs, larvae and adults of Haemonchus contortus. The extracts were prepared in three increasing concentrations by using Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) for egg hatch, larval development assay and adult motility inhibition assay. PBS was used as negative control, levamisole (in PBS) was used as a reference.

RESULTS: The extracts exerted significant anthelmintic activity on three lifecycle stages of Haemonchus contortus when compared to the negative control group (P<0.05). The activity was proportional to the concentrations of the plant extracts for egg hatching and the first stage larvae but not for the adult worms. Moreover, the results have shown that the MeOH extract was found to have higher ovicidal and larvicidal effects than the other extracts.

CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present research have revealed that MeOH extract obtained from P. endlicherianum demonstrated in vitro anthelmintic effect against the eggs, the first stage larvae and the adult stage of H. contortus. These results confirmed the folkloric use of the plant. It was suggested that the tannin content of the plant could be responsible for the anthelmintic activity.