Phytochemical profile and in vitro protoscolicidal effects of Juniperus phoenicea L., Calotropis procera (Aiton) Dryand, and Artemisia judaica L. against Echinococcus granulosus cysts

Context: Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) is a significant zoonotic agent in veterinary and medicinal fields. Surgery and benzimidazole drugs are used as treatments but have significant drawbacks. Therefore, there is growing interest in ethnomedical approaches to investigating the scolicidal properties of plants traditionally as anthelmintics. Calotropis procera, Juniperus phoenicea, and Artemisia judaica are three plants traditionally used as anthelmintics. Aims: To examine the phytochemical composition and scolicidal capability against E. granulosus cysts of C. procera, J. phoenicea, and A. judaica methanolic extracts.Methods: Fresh E. granulosus cysts were isolated from livestock in southern Jordan and tested to determine the scolicidal potential of C. procera, J. phoenicea, and A. judaica aerial parts methanolic extracts, and their chemical compositions were examined using LC-MS.Results: Although all treatments were protoscolicidal, that of J. phoenicea exhibited higher protoscolices mortality rates at lower concentrations and treatment times than the other extracts. The LC-MS analysis revealed several components with biologically active properties were present in the plant extracts, including terpenes and polyphenolic compounds. Only C. procera contained the steroid uzarin and the flavonoid isoquercitrin.Conclusions: This study demonstrated the potent effects of A. judaica, J. phoenicea, and C. procera methanolic extracts against E. granulosus protoscoleces in vitro, indicating that these plants and/or their phytochemical components may be attractive sources of novel scolicidal medications.