Pharmacognosy

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Browsing Pharmacognosy by Author "Berhanu,Temesgen"

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    Anthelmintic Activity of the Seed Oil of Ricinus communis
    (Addis Ababa University, 2023-03) Berhanu,Temesgen; Asres, Kaleab(Prof.); Bisrat, Daniel(Dr.)
    Helminthic infections are among the most widespread parasitic infections in humans. It is estimated that more than half of the world’s population suffer from parasitic infections. It poses morbidity particularly in children and pregnant women. Helminthic infections are more common in developing countries with poorer personal and environmental hygiene. Plant-derived drugs and herbal remedies remain important resources to alleviate and cure diseases, especially in developing countries. Variety of plants from various families including Ricinus communis from the family Euphorbiaceae are used to treat helminthiasis across the world. R.communis is an annual oilseed crop commonly known as castor. Antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimalarial are some of the pharmacological activities that have been reported from extracts of R. communis. In the present study, the petroleum ether seed extract of R. communis, its base hydrolysate and the major constituent of the hydrolysate were tested for their anthelmintic activities against the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The dried and powdered seeds were extracted using petroleum ether and then the oil collected was subjected to base hydrolysis to obtain the hydrolysate. Fractionation of the hydrolysate by column chromatography packed with silica gel 60-G resulted in the isolation of the hydroxylated fatty acid (9Z)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid (ricinoleic acid). The isolated free fatty was esterified by 5% Potassium hydroxide solution in methanol to get ricinoleic acid methyl ester. Structural elucidation of the compounds was achieved by spectroscopic techniques including ESI-MS, 1H and 13C-NMR spectral data. Results of the anthelmintic assay revealed that VIII ricinoleic acid and its methyl ester are strongly active against C. elegans worms compared to the oil. Ricinoleic acid exhibited 97% mortality at the tested concentration of (1 mg/ml). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the oil of R. communis seeds possesses strong anthelmintic activity against the model nematode C. elegans worms and the activity of the oil would be attributed to the presence of ricinoleic acid as a major constituent.