Vet World   Vol.17   June-2024  Article - 19 

In vitro and in silico study on the seeds of Veitchia merrillii on trematode worms

Background and Aim: The potential of plants as anthelmintics is very large, but there is still very little research conducted in the search for effective, safe, easily obtained, and affordable anthelmintic candidates. Palem putri (Veitchia merrillii) is an ornamental plant that is interesting to study because it is included in the areca nut group which is reported to have strong abilities as anthelmintics. The study aims to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of Veitchia merrillii against trematode worms such as Paramphistomum spp. and Fasciola hepatica. 

Materials and Methods: This research employs both in vitro and computational techniques. An anthelmintic in vitro test was carried out on Paramphistomum spp. worms at concentrations of 10%, 25%, and 40% (gr/v), assessing mortality index as the observable outcome, followed by a histopathological investigation of the deceased worms for tissue and cellular damage evaluation. Seventeen compounds from V. merrillii seeds were studied in silico for their anthelmintic activity against F. hepatica worms using the quantitative structure-activity relationship technique, molecular docking, and Lipinski’s rule analysis for orally administered medication. 

Results: About 25% and 40% extracts of V. merrillii damaged the tegument organs in the worms. Seventeen compounds in V. merrillii seed extract, on average, yielded a higher anthelmintic index on F. hepatica than praziquantel. Eleven of the 17 compounds exhibit stronger affinity than praziquantel, with routine and gallic acid being the top two ligands (ΔGbinding values: −11.65 kcal/mol and −11.07 kcal/mol, respectively). According to Lipinski’s rule analysis, only routine compounds cannot be orally administered. 

Conclusion: The seeds of V. merrilli have potential as an anthelmintic agent for Paramphistomum spp. at concentrations of 25%–40% (gr/v). 

Keywords: Molecular docking, QSAR, Trematoda, Veitchia merillii.

How to cite this article: Athaillah F, Hambal M, Vanda H, Frengki F, and Sari WK (2024) In vitro and in silico study on the seeds of Veitchia merrillii on trematode worms, Veterinary World, 17(6): 1336–1347.

Received: 2024-01-26    Accepted: 2024-05-17    Published online: 2024-06-21

Corresponding author: Farida Athaillah    E-mail: farida_athaillah_fkh@usk.ac.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.1336-1347

Copyright: Athaillah, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.