Anthelmintic and antioxidant activities of acacia concinna

A study was conducted to evaluate the anthelmintic and antioxidant potential of mature pods and flowers of Acacia concinna. Crude extracts of plant parts were prepared using water, methanol, ethanol, hydroalcohol and acetone as solvents and tested for their anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus eggs and larvae using in vitro assay. In addition, in vivo trial with crude aqueous extract of A. concinna pod was also conducted. Chemical test revealed the presence of high concentration of saponin and very low concentration of total phenols and flavonoids in pods. The antioxidant activity (radical scavenging activity) was 9.32%. Chromatogram of methanolic pod extract revealed 9 phyto-compounds. On faecal culture assay, 100% reduction in larval development was observed. On EHA (egg hatch assay), only acetone extract of pod and methanol, ethanol, hydroalcohol and acetone extracts of flowers showed moderate inhibitory action of embryonation. All the extracts of both the plant parts showed >90% ovicidal and larvicidal effect at minimum concentration of 0.63 mg/ml. Significant (P<0.05) difference was observed in packed cell volume and haemoglobin content in all the groups at 10, 15 and 20 days post treatment. The findings suggest that A. concinna has anthelmintic potential and can be used for controlling haemonchosis in animals.