Determinación de la actividad antihelmintico de artemisia absinthium L. (Ajenjo)

Abstract

Artemisia absinthium L (ajenjo) is a medicinal plant which has a high reputation among the Ancients. The most known pharmacologycal efects are related with losing weight and digestion, and its anthelmintic effect is unkown. This is the reason because we decided to value the ability to kill intestinal worms with an alcoholic extract of the plant. The phytochemical screening showed that the plant contains: essencial oils (with thujone, thujyl, isothujone), alkaloids, triterpenes, flavonoids, leucoanthocyanidines, phenolic compounds and bitter principles. The thin-layer chromatography analysis detected the presence of the bitter glycoside absinthin with an Rf of 0.375. This data confirms the identity of the plant species used, Artemisia absinthium L. The bioassay for the determination of LC 50 by Artemia salina method showed that Artemisia absinthium L presented a LC 50 of 4641.59ppm. That means that the alcoholic extract of the plant is atoxic. To evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic activity we used the biological model California red earthworm and the doses were 0,25; 0,5; 1 and 2 % (g/dL). A negative control group (distilled water) and six positive control groups (4.10 and 20 % piperazine solutions, and 0,5; 1 and 2% albendazole solutions) were set. The evaluation in Petri plate was continuously performed for 4 hours. The measured variable was survival time in minutes. The results showed that Artemisia absinthium L leaves alcoholic extract has a potent anthelmintic effect in all the doses evaluated. Including the minimum dose, all of them were more potent than the drug of reference used (20 % piperazina, and 2% albendazole). The level of significance was set at 0,05. The effect of the positive control solutions was depending on dosing.