Anthelmintic Activities of Extract and Ellagitannins from Phyllanthus urinaria against Caenorhabditis elegans and Zoonotic or Animal Parasitic
          Nematodes

Jonathan Jato; Patrick Waindok; François Ngnodandi Belga François Ngnodandi; Emmanuel Orman; Christian Agyare; Emelia Oppong Bekoe; Christina Strube; Andreas Hensel; Eva Liebau; Verena Spiegler

doi:10.1055/a-2117-9426

Planta Medica, Table of Contents

Planta Med 2023; 89(13): 1215-1228
DOI: 10.1055/a-2117-9426

Biological and Pharmacological Activity

Original Papers

Anthelmintic Activities of Extract and Ellagitannins from Phyllanthus urinaria against Caenorhabditis elegans and Zoonotic or Animal Parasitic Nematodes

Jonathan Jato

¹University of Münster, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, Münster, Germany

²Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumasi, Ghana

⁵University of Health and Allied Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Ho, Ghana

⁷University of Münster, Institute of Integrative Cell Biology and Physiology, Münster, Germany

,

Patrick Waindok

³University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Hannover, Germany

,

François Ngnodandi Belga François Ngnodandi

⁴University of Ngaoundere, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon

,

Emmanuel Orman

¹University of Münster, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, Münster, Germany

⁵University of Health and Allied Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Ho, Ghana

,

Christian Agyare

²Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumasi, Ghana

,

Emelia Oppong Bekoe

⁶University of Ghana, College of Health Science, School of Pharmacy, Accra, Ghana

,

Christina Strube^*

³University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Hannover, Germany

,

Andreas Hensel ^*

¹University of Münster, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, Münster, Germany

,

Eva Liebau^*

⁷University of Münster, Institute of Integrative Cell Biology and Physiology, Münster, Germany

,

Verena Spiegler^*

¹University of Münster, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, Münster, Germany

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

The aerial parts of Phyllanthus urinaria are used in traditional medicine in West Africa against helminthiasis, but their anthelmintic potential has not been evaluated until now. Within the current study, a hydroacetonic extract (AWE) and fractions and isolated ellagitannins from P. urinaria were, therefore, tested in vitro against Caenorhabditis elegans and the larvae of the animal parasites Toxocara canis, Ascaris suum, Ancylostoma caninum, and Trichuris suis. Compounds 1 – 13, mainly representing ellagitannins, were isolated using different chromatographic methods, and their structures were elucidated by HR-MS and ¹H/¹³C-NMR. AWE exerted concentration-dependent lethal effects (LC₅₀ of 2.6 mg/mL) against C. elegans and inhibited larval migration of all animal parasites tested (T. suis L1 IC₅₀ 24.3 µg/mL, A. suum L3 IC₅₀ 35.7 µg/mL, A. caninum L3 IC₅₀ 112.8 µg/mL, T. canis L3 IC₅₀ 1513.2 µg/mL). The anthelmintic activity of AWE was mainly related to the polar, tannin-containing fractions. Geraniin 1, the major ellagitannin in the extract, showed the strongest anthelmintic activity in general (IC₅₀ between 0.6 and 804 µM, depending on parasite species) and was the only compound active against A. caninum (IC₅₀ of 35.0 µM). Furosin 9 was least active despite structural similarities to 1. Among the parasites tested, Trichuris suis L1 larvae turned out to be most sensitive with IC₅₀ of 0.6, 6.4, 4.0, 4.8, and 2.6 µM for geraniin 1, repandusinic acid A 3, punicafolin 8, furosin 9, and phyllanthusiin A 10, respectively.

Key words

Phyllanthus urinaria - Phyllanthaceae - nematodes - ellagitannins - geraniin

Full Text

References

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