Anthelmintic efficacy and safety of alkaloid-rich fractions of Nicotiana tabacum against benzimidazole-resistant Haemonchus contortus in goats

Vet World Vol.18 November-2025 Article - 10

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(11): 3420-3432

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.3420-3432

Muhammad Sheraz Yasin¹

, Wasim Shehzad¹

, Kamran Ashraf²

, Rahat Naseer¹

, and Khalid Hussain³

1. Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.

2. Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.

3. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.

Background and Aim: Haemonchus contortus is a highly pathogenic blood-feeding nematode of small ruminants, responsible for severe anemia, production losses, and mortality. Excessive use of synthetic anthelmintics, especially benzimidazoles, has led to widespread drug resistance, prompting a need for alternative therapeutics. Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) contains bioactive alkaloids such as nicotine, which target nematode acetylcholine receptors and may provide sustainable parasite control. This study aimed to isolate, characterize, and evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic efficacy and safety of alkaloid-rich fractions of N. tabacum against benzimidazole-resistant H. contortus in goats, in line with the One Health approach and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2, 3, 12, and 15).

Materials and Methods: Leaves of N. tabacum were authenticated and subjected to sequential solvent extraction. Alkaloid fractions were confirmed by TLC and HPLC. In vitro assays, including adult motility and egg hatch tests, were conducted at concentrations of 1–5 mg/mL against resistant H. contortus isolates. The most active fraction (ethyl acetate) was administered orally in naturally infected Beetal goats (n = 25) at low (0.8 mg/kg), medium (1.2 mg/kg), and high (1.6 mg/kg) doses for 14 days, alongside negative (saline) and positive (oxfendazole 4.5 mg/kg) controls. Fecal egg counts, hematology, and liver enzyme levels were analyzed to determine efficacy and safety.

Results: The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited complete (100%) adult worm mortality at 3–5 mg/mL and total egg-hatch inhibition at 4–5 mg/mL (p < 0.05). The LD₅₀ for adult worm mortality was 0.323 mg/mL. In vivo, the high-dose group (1.6 mg/kg) achieved a 76.2% fecal-egg-count reduction, exceeding oxfendazole (69.7%). No significant changes in alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase were observed (p > 0.05), confirming hepatic safety, while serum proteins and red-blood-cell indices improved significantly (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Purified alkaloid fractions of N. tabacum, particularly the ethyl acetate extract containing nicotine, demonstrated strong, dose-dependent anthelmintic activity, and safety against benzimidazole-resistant H. contortus. These findings support N. tabacum as a sustainable, plant-based alternative to synthetic anthelmintics. The work advances the One Health framework and contributes directly to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Keywords: alkaloids, anthelmintic resistance, benzimidazoles, goats, Haemonchus contortus, Nicotiana tabacum, One Health, Sustainable development goals 12 – Responsible consumption and production, Sustainable development goals 15 – Life on land, Sustainable development goals 2 – Zero Hunger, Sustainable development goals 3 – Good health and well-being, sustainable livestock.

How to cite this article: Yasin MS, Shehzad W, Ashraf K, Naseer R, and Hussain K (2025) Anthelmintic efficacy and safety of alkaloid-rich fractions of Nicotiana tabacum against benzimidazole-resistant Haemonchus contortus in goats, Veterinary World, 18(11): 3420-3432.

Received: 21-06-2025 Accepted: 21-10-2025 Published online: 23-11-2025

Corresponding author: Wasim Shehzad E-mail: wasim.shehzad@uvas.edu.pk

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.3420-3432

Copyright: Yasin, 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.