Abstract

EVALUATION OF ANTIHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF COMBINATION OF CARICA PAPAYA AND TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA LEAF EXTRACTS USING PHERETIMA POSTHUMA

G.N.R.L.T. Sowjanya*, P. Yasaswini, T. Divya Sri, T. Saikumar, S. Kiran Sai, J. Prasanna, Esther Rani

Abstract

The present study was carried out to evaluate the antihelmintic activity of aqueous leaf extracts of Carica papaya and Tinospora cordifolia individually and in combination using Pheretimaposthuma as an experimental model. The extracts were prepared using the aqueous maceration method. Anthelmintic activity was assessed by recording paralysis time and compared with Albendazole as the standard drug. The results demonstrated that both individual extracts possessed notable anthelmintic activity in a dose-dependent manner, while the combination of extracts exhibited enhanced activity when compared to the individual extracts, particularly showing better efficacy than Tinospora cordifolia alone. The combined extract produced a significant reduction in paralysis and death time, indicating improved wormicidal potential. However, the activity of the herbal combination remained lower than that of standard Albendazole, which showed the highest efficacy. The enhanced activity of the combination may be attributed to the presence of phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and phenolic compounds, which may contribute either individually or synergistically to the observed anthelmintic effect. The findings suggest that combining the two plant extracts may produce an additive to mild synergistic interaction, improving their therapeutic potential. In conclusion, the study supports the traditional use of Carica papaya and Tinospora cordifolia in helminthic infections and indicates that their combination could serve as a promising natural alternative for anthelmintic therapy, although further studies are required to isolate active constituents, understand the mechanism of action, and validate efficacy through in vivo investigations.

Keywords: Antihelmintic activity, Albendazole, Pheretima posthuma, Carica papaya and Tinospora cordifolia.