Larvicidal Activity of Cadena de Amor (Antigonon leptopus) Leaves Extract Against Mosquito Larvae

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) remain as one of the most common threats in hog production in many developing countries. Among the GIPs, Ascaris suum is a prevalent species in pigs (Dadas, 2016). Reports of resistance of pig nematodes to anthelmintics have been identified in Denmark and Germany (Gerwent et al, 2002). Drug residue in meat may cause direct effects on the consumer. Moreover, availability of anthelmintic to local farms and the expensive cost in developing countries where the pig industry is common serves as a major setback. Thus, finding a natural alternative anthelmintic is significant to the industry. This research study aims to find a natural anthelmintic which effectively eliminates adult A. suum worms.

METHODS

The main processes done were: collection and authentication of plant and worm materials, extraction and phytochemical screening of C. longa ethanolic extract, anthelmintic activity test, data gathering, waste disposal, and data analysis. The anthelmintic activity test was performed according to the methods of Husori, Bancin, Muhaimin, Bahri, and Patilaya (2016) entitled "Anthelmintic Activity of Ethanolic and Aqueous Extracts of Allium fistulosum L. Leaves on Ascaris lumbricoides.

RESULTS

Results on the phytochemical screening of C. longa ethanolic extract showed that it is abundant in saponins, sterols, and triterpenoids. Additionally, it has traces of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, and tannins. For the anthelmintic test, the average time to paralysis is 152 minutes, while the time to death is 162 minutes. Both were faster than the negative control but slower than the positive control. Since the ethanolic extract remained unused for two weeks, the bioactive components may have been affected. Furthermore, the consistency affected the solubility of the extract. The statistical analysis showed that when compared to the positive control, the time of paralysis and time of death were significantly different with their p-values, 8.05E-12 and 7.29E-12, both lesser than the α = 0.05.

DISCUSSIONS

Through phytochemical analysis, high concentrations of plant constituents were present in the plant extract. The results of anthelmintic activity showed that the time it took to paralyze and kill the worms were slower than the positive control. This may be caused by the extract's solubility. However, statistical tests show that both results are significantly different when compared to the positive control. Thus, it was suggested to change the extraction method for better results.