Metabolic profiling and in vitro assessment of anthelmintic fractions of Picria fel-terrae Lour.

Rasika Kumarasingha, Avinash V. Karpe, Sarah Preston, Tiong-Chia Yeo, Diana S.L. Lim, Chu-Lee Tu, Jennii Luu, Kaylene J. Simpson, Jillian M. Shaw, Robin B. Gasser, David J. Beale, Paul D. Morrison, Enzo A. Palombo, Peter R. Boag

Anthelmintic resistance is widespread in gastrointestinal nematode populations, such that there is a consistent need to search for new anthelmintics. However, the cost of screening for new compounds is high and has a very low success rate. Using the knowledge of traditional healers from Borneo Rainforests (Sarawak, Malaysia), we have previously shown that some traditional medicinal plants are a rich source of potential new anthelmintic drug candidates. In this study, Picria fel-terrae Lour. plant extract, which has previously shown promising anthelmintic activities, was fractionated via the use of a solid phase extraction cartridge and each isolated fraction was then tested on free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. We found that a single fraction was enriched for nematocidal activity, killing ≥90% of C. elegans adults and inhibiting the motility of exsheathed L3 of H. contortus, while having minimal cytotoxic activity in mammalian cell culture. Metabolic profiling and chemometric analysis of the effective fraction indicated medium chained fatty acids and phenolic acids were highly represented.