Efficacy of Azadirachta indica in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Helminthiasis

Abstract

The study was carried out to assess the anthelminthic efficacy of Azadirachta indica commonly known as Neem (Dogoyaro). The phytochemical components of the leaf extract was accessed using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and the efficacy was carried out in vitro and in vivo using Toxocara canis (as worm model) of dogs. Twenty peaks of compounds were revealed in the GS-MS chromatogram, with Hexadecanoic acid which is saddled with anthelminthic effect as one of its major constituents. In the in vitro study, the lethal concentration was 92.48ml/mg at 6hrs. Percentage egg reduction of 76.2% and 83.9% from the Faecal Egg Count (FEC) at LC25 and LC50 respectively was recorded for the in vivo study. The overall blood count of all the puppies used for the experiment were 4.46 X 106µL for RBC, 31.32% for PCV and 11.23 X 103for WBC. Puppies treated with Azadirachta indica leaf extract showed minimal alteration of the three heamatological parameters (WBC, PCV and RBC) analyzed compared to the uninfected control group and group treated with Mbendazole. This indicates that Azadirachta indica leaf extract is effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal helminthiasis and also further investigations are recommended as it may be useful in the treatment of other diseases.