ABSTRACT:
The present study was aimed to investigate anthelmintic and antioxidant activity of the leave extracts of Solanum virginianum Linn (Family: Solanaceae). It is commonly found throughout Indian plains from seashore to hills up to 1000m high. The leaves were collected, shade driedand extracted with water (5% chloroform water) and with ethanol using Soxhlet extractor. The in vitro anthelmintic assay of aqueous (AESV) and ethanolic (EESV) extracts of Solanum virginianum Linn was carried out on Pheretimaposthuma (Indian earth worm). The observation showed that EESV gave shorter paralysis and death time at 100 mg/mL as compared to AESV. MeanzSEM values were calculated for the both extract and standard. EESV showed anthelmintic activity in a dose-dependent manner taking shortest time for paralysis (33.0620.19) and death (39.42+0.24) at 100 mg/mL concentration. Also in case of AESV the dose of 100 mg/mL showed shortest time of paralysis (43.10 20.30) and death (49.22+0.44). It is observed that all the investigational extracts showed the significant anthelmintic activity (P<0.05) compared to standard drug mebendazole. The extracts were also evaluated for antioxidant activity by free radical scavenging assay using DPPH and showed a prominent antioxidant activity but were comparatively lower than standard significantly (P<0.05). Further studies are needed to be done to isolate the active phytoconstituents responsible for bringing the anthelmintic activity against pheretimaposthuma and antioxidant activity.