Abstract
Introduction: Internal parasites, especially nematode infections of the digestive tract (e.g., different species of Haemonchus), have always been associated with economic losses in sheep production systems in tropical regions. Therefore, the implementation of environmentally benign treatment alternatives is essential for integrated parasite control programs. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of the methanolic extract of Astragalus effusus plant on the hatching of eggs of Haemonchus species in laboratory conditions.
Methods: This study was conducted between 2021 and 2022 in Tabriz, Iran. Haemonchus nematode eggs were extracted from experimentally infected sheep and were exposed to different concentrations (10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/mL) of the methanolic extract of the plant under laboratory conditions. The hatching percentage of Haemonchus eggs was recorded after repeating the experiments five times, and the 50% and 90% inhibitory concentrations of the methanolic extract of the plant (CL50 and CL90) were estimated through regression analysis.
Results: Our results demonstrated the effect of the methanolic extract of the A. effusus plant on the hatching of the eggs of Haemonchus species in laboratory conditions with satisfactory results. The effect of different concentrations of the methanolic extract of A. effusus plant from 1% to 8% (10-80 mg/mL) on the hatching of the eggs of Haemonchus species was significant, and 0.5% dimethyl sulfate was considered as the negative control of the group (χ2=0.024, P<0.05). Likewise, the inhibitory effect on the hatching of the eggs of Haemonchus species in a concentration of 16% of the methanolic extract of the A. effusus plant (160 mg/mL) was similar to the effect of albendazole (positive control).
Conclusion: In laboratory conditions, the methanolic extract of the A. effusus plant was effective in preventing the hatching of the eggs of Haemonchus species, which is important to guide further studies on the other effective compounds of this plant in all stages of the life of Haemonchus because different species of the A. effusus plant have widely adapted to the geographical and climatic conditions of Iran.