Avaliação do potencial anti-helmíntico de compostos bioativos em ancilostomídeos de animais de companhia

Abstract

Diseases caused by soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are among the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world. It is estimated that more than 900 million people are infected with some helminth. Among these, Hookworms are among the most prevalent, with around 500 million infected worldwide. In Brazil, the prevalence in domiciled dogs is 25%, while in non-domiciled dogs it exceeds 57%. The main species that cause hookworm in humans are Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus and A. ceylanicum, while in dogs the species are A. ceylanicum, A. caninum, A. braziliense, the latter being the main species associated with cutaneous larva migrans in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of green propolis extract, tannic acid and aqueous extracts of copaiba on the hatchability of hookworm eggs. For this purpose, fecal samples from naturally infected dogs were collected to recover hookworm eggs. Subsequently, tests to inhibit the hatchability of these parasites were carried out against the tested compounds in order to evaluate the anthelmintic potential of the bioactive compounds. The tests demonstrated that tannic acid and aqueous extracts of Copaifera lucens, C. multijuga and C. oblongifolia can inhibit more than 90% of egg hatchability at certain concentrations, with IC50 values of 14.74 mg/mL, 22, 09 mg/mL, 4.71 mg/mL and 4.79 mg/mL, respectively. Such results allow us to infer that these compounds have the potential to be used in research that evaluates other stages of the hookworm life cycle. In this way, it can facilitate the development of new drugs.