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| LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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| Year : 2011 | Volume
: 43
| Issue : 6 | Page : 743-744 |
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Anthelmintic effect of Euphorbia prostrata Ait. extracts
Surendra Kumar Sharma, Sumitra Singh, Joginder Singh
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheswar University of Science and Technology, Hisar - 125 001, Haryana, India
| Date of Web Publication | 14-Nov-2011 |
Correspondence Address:
Surendra Kumar Sharma
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheswar University of Science and Technology, Hisar - 125 001, Haryana
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0253-7613.89846
How to cite this article:
Sharma SK, Singh S, Singh J. Anthelmintic effect of Euphorbia prostrata Ait. extracts. Indian J Pharmacol 2011;43:743-4 |
Sir,
The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of Euphorbia prostrata Ait as decoction of the plant has been need conventionally for this purpose. [1] Euphorbia prostrata Ait. (Euphorbiaceae) is an annual prostrate herb found all over India. [2] The plant was collected from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology campus, Hisar, in August 2009 and identified at National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources, New Delhi. The plant material was shade dried at 35±5 o C and pulverized. For aqueous extract preparation, coarse powder of plant was extracted with distilled water by cold maceration method. For ethanolic extract, the dried powdered plant (250 g) was extracted with 80% ethanol in soxhlet apparatus to obtain thick slurry and then concentrated to obtain a solid extract.
The anthelmentic assay was carried out on adult Indian earthworm, Pheretima posthuma, due to its anatomical and physiological resemblance with the intestinal roundworm parasite of human beings. [3],[4] The worms were divided into eight groups containing six in each group. Preparations containing 50 ml of aqueous and ethanolic extracts with four different concentrations (40, 50, 75, and 100 mg/ml) were prepared, respectively, in distilled water for the study. The control (distilled water) and reference standard (piperazine citrate [10 mg/ml]) were also prepared. Time of paralysis was noted when no movement was observed except when the worms were shaken vigorously. Time of death of worms was recorded after ascertaining that the worms neither moved when shaken vigorously nor when dipped in warm water (50 o C). Both extracts of the plant showed potent anthelmentic activity when compared to standard drug. The time to paralysis (vermifuge) and death (vermicide) was found to be lesser in higher concentration of extracts. It showed shortest time of paralysis and death with 100 mg/ml of ethanolic and aqueous concentration, respectively [Table 1]. From these results, it was concluded that both the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of this plant have potent dose dependent anthelmintic activity comparable to the standard drug, piperazine citrate. The ethanolic extracts showed better activity than the aqueous extracts. The future scope of study involves isolation of phytoconstituents responsible for anthelmintic activity and studies among in vivo models. | Table 1: Paralysis and death time of earthworm caused by aqueous and alcoholic extract of Euphorbia prostrata Ait
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| » References | |  |
| 1. | Ulubelen A, Oksaz S, Halfon B, Aynehchr Y, Mabry TJ. Flavonoids from Euphorbia larica, E. virgata, E. chamaesyce and E. magalanta. J Nat Prod 1983;46:598. 
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| 2. | Singla AK, Pathak K. Anti-inflammatory studies on Euphorbia prostrata. J Ethnopharm 1989;27:55-61.
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| 3. | Ajaiyeoba EO, Onocha PA, Olarenwaju OT. In vitro anthelmintic properties of Buchholzia coriaceae and Gynandropsis gynandra extract. Pharm Biol 2001;39:217-20.
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| 4. | Ghosh T, Maity TK, Bose A Dash GK. Anthelmintic activity of Bacopa monierri. Indian J Nat Prod 2005;21:16-9.
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[Table 1]
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