Abstract Trichostrongylus colubriformis is one of the major parasites that hampers the development of small ruminant breeding in West Africa and particularly in Benin. This parasite is a zoonosis that could infest humans if hygiene measures are not taken in pastures. The aim of the present study is to evaluate in vitro, the effect of the aqueous triturated extract of fresh leaves of Mitragyna inermis on this parasite. Tests on the motility of adult worms were evaluated at different doses. The antioxidant activity of the extract was also evaluated by two different methods in comparison with vitamin C and acute oral toxicity on Wistars female rats. It appears that the aqueous triturated extract of fresh leaves of M. inermis significantly reduced in vitro the motility of adult worms of T. colubriformis (p < 0.01). The extract showed a good capacity to trap the free radical of DPPH (IC50 = 6.32 µg/ml) and its capacity to reduce Fe3+ and Fe2+ ion is remarkable. This could be explained by the high content of tannins, flavonoids… found in the extract. Furthermore, the extract shows a non-toxic effect at a single dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight. These results could explain the use of this plant in traditional medicine in the treatment of parasitic diseases.
KeywordsMitragyna inermis, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, antioxidant activity.