The Journal of Phytopharmacology 2025; 14(1):23-35 ;   DOI:10.31254/phyto.2025.14104

Research Article

Assessment of phytochemicals, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anthelmintic activities of Balanites aegyptiaca from semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, India

Faiz Ahmad Khan¹ , Srishti Soni¹ , Chander Prakash Swarnkar¹ , Lalit Kumar Soni¹

Faiz Ahmad Khan,Srishti Soni,Chander Prakash Swarnkar,Lalit Kumar Soni

1. Division of Animal Health, ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Tonk-304501, Rajasthan, India

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 26th May, 2024 / Accepted: 9th January, 2025 / Published : 23rd March, 2025

Abstract

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The majority of medications used to treat nematodiasis in animals have become ineffective as a result of helminth drug resistance. Additionally, going back to medicinal plants and their substances is an environmentally beneficial option to cure nematodiasis since anthelmintics, like many medications, have been designated as hazardous environmental contaminants. The current study was carried out to evaluate phytochemicals, antioxidant, antibacterial and anthelmintic properties from locally available plant Balanites aegyptiaca (B. aegyptiaca). An in vitro free radical scavenging activity of the different extracts was determined by 2,2-azino bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) method. The antibacterial test was performed by agar well diffusion method using crude aqueous and hydro alcohol extracts of immature and mature fruits. The egg hatch assay and larval mortality assay were used to evaluate the extracts' in vitro effectiveness. 25% crude extracts (aqueous, methanol, ethanol, hydro alcohol and acetone) were used at different concentrations (10 mg/ml to 0.01 mg/ml). Thiabendazole was employed as a reference standard for EHA at a dose of 10 mg/ml. For LMA levamisole was used @ 10 mg/ml as reference standard. In both the assays’ distilled water was used as negative control. In methanol extract of immature fruits Geraniol was the main phytochemicals while in its ethanol extract 4-O-Methylmannose was predominant. Pentanoic acid, 3-methyl- (Valeric acid) and Hexanoic acid (Butyric acid) are predominantly present in mature fruits. In both methanol and ethanol extracts of bark 1,4- Dimethyl-7-(prop-1-en-2-yl) decahydroazulen-4-ol (Pogostole) was predominant. Leaves, bark and mature fruits showed remarkable antioxidant activity. Hydro alcohol extract of immaturte fruit showed marked antimicrobial activity against E. coli. At 200 and 300 mg/g of faeces, adding powder to the faecal culture reduced larval growth by more than 97%. All the extracts of studied plant parts were very effective (>95%) in preventing hatching of eggs and killing the larvae (L1 and L2). The in vivo study with ethanol extract of immature fruit (@ 0.5 g per kg body weight once) showed non-significant variation in faecal egg counts in extract treated and infected untreated control groups, however, compared to the control group, the extract-treated group's numerical mean intensity of infection was lower on the majority of days. Nevertheless, the reduction in infective larvae observed in faecal cultures from extract treated lambs was highly significant from day 3 to end of the study. In conclusion the crude extracts of B. aegyptiaca showed terpenoids, flavonoids, fatty acids and carbohydrates and possessed significant antibacterial, ovicidal and larvicidal properties against Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus).

Keywords

Balanites aegyptiaca, Disc Diffusion Technique, Egg Hatch Assay, 2,2-azino bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate), Haemonchus contortus, Larval mortality Assay

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