Comparative anthelmintic effects of Leucaena leucocephala leaf decoctions: Simplicia versus fresh and naturally-dried leaves against Ascaridia galli in vitro

Abstract

Leucaena leucocephala leaves can be used as an alternative to synthetic anthelmintics due to their secondary metabolite content, such as alkaloids, tannins, and flavonoids. This study aimed to determine the most effective anthelmintic among decoctions prepared from simplicia (air-dried crude plant material), fresh leaves, and dried leaves of L. leucocephala against Ascaridia galli. A total of 75 A. galli worms were collected from the gastrointestinal tracts of infected chickens. The samples were divided into five treatment groups: a positive control (levamisole), a negative control (distilled water), and three treatment groups receiving 20% decoctions (100 g plant material in 500 mL solvent) prepared from simplicia, fresh leaves, and dried leaves. Each group consisted of five A. galli worms and was replicated three times to ensure reliability. Observations were made every 15 minutes over a 600-minute period to record worm mortality. The simplicia decoction showed the highest anthelmintic effectiveness among the plant-based treatments, achieving total worm mortality at an average of 295 minutes, followed by the fresh leaf decoction at 480 minutes and the dried leaf decoction at 595 minutes. Compared with the positive control, the simplicia, fresh leaf, and dried leaf decoctions were approximately 2.6-, 4.2-, and 5.2-fold slower, respectively, in achieving total worm mortality.