Anthelmintic effect of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil and its nanoemulsion on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes

• Published in: Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 522 - 527
• Main Authors: Macedo, Iara Tersia Freitas, Oliveira, Lorena Mayana Beserra de, André, Weibson Paz Pinheiro, Araújo Filho, José Vilemar de, Santos, Jéssica Maria Leite Dos, Rondon, Fernanda Cristina Macedo, Ribeiro, Wesley Lyeverton Correia, Camurça-Vasconcelos, Ana Lourdes Fernandes, Oliveira, Erick Falcão de, Paula, Haroldo César Beserra de, Bevilaqua, Claudia Maria Leal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinária 01-07-2019; Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria
• Subjects: Fitoterapia; Haemonchus contortus; nanotecnologia; PARASITOLOGY; pequenos ruminantes; VETERINARY SCIENCES; Haemonchus contortus; small ruminants; nanotecnologia; Fitoterapia; nanotechnology; pequenos ruminantes; Phytotherapy
• ISSN: 0103-846X; 1984-2961; 1984-2961
• DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612019065

The anthelmintic resistance stimulated the search for strategies for controlling gastrointestinal nematodes, including the use of free essential oils or its nanoemulsion. This study evaluated the anthelmintic efficacy of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (CcEO) and C. citratus essential oil nanoemulsion (CcEOn). Pysicochemical analyses were performed. The in vitro effect was determined using the egg hatch test (EHT) on Haemonchus contortus and in vivo effect was evaluated in sheep infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. The animals were treated with CcEO (500 mg/kg) or CcEOn (450 mg/kg) for the fecal egg count (FEC) and the determination of worm burden. The main component of CcEO was citral. The CcEO content in the nanoemulsion was 20% (v/v), and the mean particle size was 248 nm. In EHT, CcEO and CcEOn (1.25 mg/mL) inhibited larval hatching by 98.4 and 97.1%, respectively. Three animals treated with CcEO died whereas in the group treated with CcEOn one animal died. The FEC and total worm burden of the treated groups did not differ from the negative control (p>0.05). The CcEOn showed efficacy only on H. contortus (p<0.05). In conclusion, nanoencapsulation reduced toxicity and increased efficacy on H. contortus.