Anthelmintic efficacy of ethanolic shoot extract of Alpinia nigra on tegumental enzymes of Fasciolopsis buski, a giant intestinal parasite.

Ethanolic shoot extract of Alpinia nigra, a traditionally used anthelmintic medicinal plant among the Tripuri tribes of north-east India, was tested in vitro to determine its anthelmintic efficacy in gastrointestinal trematode Fasciolopsis buski, using alterations in the activity of vital tegumental enzymes viz. acid phosphatase (AcPase), alkaline phosphatase (AlkPase) and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase). Live adult F. buski treated in vitro with different concentrations of the plant extract showed significant decline in the visible stain histochemically and enzyme activities. Quantitatively, the total enzyme activity of AcPase, AlkPase and ATPase was found to be reduced by 45, 41 and 43%, respectively compared to the control. The reference drug, praziquantel also showed more or less similar effect like that of the plant extract. The results suggest that the tegumental enzymes of the parasite may be an important target of action for active component(s) of A. nigra, which appears to act transtegumentally.