In Vitro Anthelmintic Effect of Mexican Plant Extracts and Partitions Against and .

Parasitic diseases represent a significant global public health concern. Two clinically important parasites of high prevalence rates are and . However, the limitations of currently used nematocidal drugs highlight the urgent need for novel treatment approaches. The present study investigated the in vitro nematocidal activity of methanol extracts from , , , , , , , , , , , and against L1 and L3 (model for ). Most of the plants showed antiparasitic activity, but crude methanol extract showed the most potent nematocidal activity against both parasites, with a mean lethal concentration (LC) of 28.2 µg/mL and a selectivity index (SI) of 22.4 for and an LC of 244.8 µg/mL and SI of 2.58 for . This extract was further separated into -hexane, chloroform, and methanol partitions by continuous Soxhlet extractions. The -hexane partition demonstrated the strongest activity against both parasites, with an LC of 147.6 µg/mL and an SI of 7.77 against and an LC of 39.2 µg/mL and an SI of 3.77 against . LC-MS/MS analysis identified coumarins as the main chemical class (53%), and chalepin represented this partition's most abundant compound (29.9%). Overall, this study confirmed the antiparasitic potential of medicinal plants commonly used in Mexico. In addition, it highlights the possibility of obtaining bioactive compounds from plants like or the other plants evaluated in this study, as novel treatments against parasitic diseases.