Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>
Helminth infections continue to be a neglected global threat in tropical regions, and there have been growing cases of anthelmintic resistance reported towards the existing anthelmintic drugs. Thus, the search for a novel anthelmintic agent has been increasing, especially those derived from plants....
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/6/1875 |
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| author | Amal Widaad Ihsan Nazurah Zulkipli Mark I. R. Petalcorin |
| author_facet | Amal Widaad Ihsan Nazurah Zulkipli Mark I. R. Petalcorin |
| author_sort | Amal Widaad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Helminth infections continue to be a neglected global threat in tropical regions, and there have been growing cases of anthelmintic resistance reported towards the existing anthelmintic drugs. Thus, the search for a novel anthelmintic agent has been increasing, especially those derived from plants. <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> (LL) is a leguminous plant that is known to have several pharmacological activities, including anthelmintic activity. It is widely known to contain a toxic compound called mimosine, which we believed could be a potential lead candidate that could exert a potent anthelmintic effect. Hence, this study aimed to validate the presence of mimosine in LL extract and to investigate the anthelmintic effect of LL extract and mimosine on head thrashing, egg-laying, and pharyngeal pumping activities using the animal model <i>Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).</i> Mimosine content in LL extract was confirmed through an HPLC analysis of spiking LL extract with different mimosine concentrations, whereby an increasing trend in peak heights was observed at a retention time of 0.9 min. LL extract and mimosine caused a significant dose-dependent increase in the percentage of worm mortality, which produced LC50s of 73 mg/mL and 6.39 mg/mL, respectively. Exposure of <i>C. elegans</i> to different concentrations of LL extract and mimosine significantly decreased the head thrashing, egg-laying, and mean pump amplitude of pharyngeal pumping activity. We speculated that these behavioral changes are due to the inhibitory effect of LL extract and mimosine on an L-type calcium channel called EGL-19. Our findings provide evidential support for the potential of LL extract and its active compound, mimosine, as novel anthelmintic candidates. However, the underlying mechanism of the anthelmintic action has yet to be elucidated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:10:13Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:10:13Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-0283a47f7aca4c279dbea3cf79e39f102023-11-30T21:42:35ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492022-03-01276187510.3390/molecules27061875Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>Amal Widaad0Ihsan Nazurah Zulkipli1Mark I. R. Petalcorin2PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410, BruneiPAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410, BruneiPAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE1410, BruneiHelminth infections continue to be a neglected global threat in tropical regions, and there have been growing cases of anthelmintic resistance reported towards the existing anthelmintic drugs. Thus, the search for a novel anthelmintic agent has been increasing, especially those derived from plants. <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> (LL) is a leguminous plant that is known to have several pharmacological activities, including anthelmintic activity. It is widely known to contain a toxic compound called mimosine, which we believed could be a potential lead candidate that could exert a potent anthelmintic effect. Hence, this study aimed to validate the presence of mimosine in LL extract and to investigate the anthelmintic effect of LL extract and mimosine on head thrashing, egg-laying, and pharyngeal pumping activities using the animal model <i>Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).</i> Mimosine content in LL extract was confirmed through an HPLC analysis of spiking LL extract with different mimosine concentrations, whereby an increasing trend in peak heights was observed at a retention time of 0.9 min. LL extract and mimosine caused a significant dose-dependent increase in the percentage of worm mortality, which produced LC50s of 73 mg/mL and 6.39 mg/mL, respectively. Exposure of <i>C. elegans</i> to different concentrations of LL extract and mimosine significantly decreased the head thrashing, egg-laying, and mean pump amplitude of pharyngeal pumping activity. We speculated that these behavioral changes are due to the inhibitory effect of LL extract and mimosine on an L-type calcium channel called EGL-19. Our findings provide evidential support for the potential of LL extract and its active compound, mimosine, as novel anthelmintic candidates. However, the underlying mechanism of the anthelmintic action has yet to be elucidated.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/6/1875anthelmintic<i>Leucaena leucocephala</i>mimosine<i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>head thrashingegg-laying |
| spellingShingle | Amal Widaad Ihsan Nazurah Zulkipli Mark I. R. Petalcorin Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> Molecules anthelmintic <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> mimosine <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> head thrashing egg-laying |
| title | Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_full | Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_fullStr | Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_short | Anthelmintic Effect of <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> Extract and Its Active Compound, Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> |
| title_sort | anthelmintic effect of i leucaena leucocephala i extract and its active compound mimosine on vital behavioral activities in i caenorhabditis elegans i |
| topic | anthelmintic <i>Leucaena leucocephala</i> mimosine <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> head thrashing egg-laying |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/6/1875 |
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