Investigation of Anthelmintic Potential of Two Leafy Vegetables from the Amaranthaceae Family

Objective: The present study investigates the anthelmintic potential of Amaranthus viridis Linn. and Amaranthus tricolor Linn. (Amaranthaceae) leafy vegetables from the Pune district, traditionally used as vermicides. Materials and Methods:The ethyl acetate, acetone and ethanol leaf extracts of both plants were subjected to preliminary investigations for thephytochemical elements. The anthelmintic activity of these extracts was tested against fully-grown Eisenia fetida earthworms.Ethyl acetate extract of A. viridis L. and acetone extract of Amaranthus tricolor L. showed the presence of all phytochemicals.Doses of 10–30 mg/ml were used in bioassay. Time of paralysis and death of earthworms was observed. Results: All extractsexhibited considerable dose-dependent activity against the reference drug, showing maximum activity at 30 mg/mL in bothplants. The most promising activity was exhibited by the ethyl acetate extract of the A. viridis L. (P (min.) = 4, D (min.) =5), followed by the acetone extract of the A. tricolor L. (P (min.) = 6, D (min.) = 13). Albendazole (20 mg/ml) and normalsaline were applied as a standard drug and control, respectively. High concentrations of alkaloids, tannins, and phenolicphytochemicals might be responsible for the exceptional activity. Conclusion: The present work scientifically validates thetraditional use and concludes that ethyl acetate and acetone extracts may be further processed to isolate the compoundsresponsible for said activity. One-way ANOVA with a significance level of 5% was used to validate the data (n = 3, p < 0.05).