In vivo Anthelminthic Activity of Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Senna italica on Rats with Hymenolepis diminuta Infection

In spite of the effectiveness of most anthelmintic agents in use, there is still need to identify more due to their unwanted side effects. Hence, the need to develop more that can be safe for all, cheap and available even in our localities. In the light of the current need for the use of traditional plants in the treatment of parasitic diseases, we have assessed the anthelmintic effect of Senna italica and aimed to investigate the therapeutic activity on Hymenolepis diminuta infection. We described in vivo studies evaluating the anthelmintic effects of the leaf extract at different concentrations in a murine infection model. Phytochemical analysis of the plant extract has shown the chemical components available in the compound. There was a significant (p<0.05) reduction in mean egg/gram (EPG) in one of the treatment groups which was observed to be similar to that of the treatment using conventional anthelmintic agent (Albendazole). A fluctuating but insignificant faecal worm-egg count was observed in the other experimental groups. The results obtained suggest a likelihood of its future use as an anthelmintic agent. Our next plan is to establish animal experiments with different types of helminth infection in order to have the full anthelmintic coverage by the agent, hopefully, before it will be validated for use as a human therapeutic agent.