PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILING AND IN VITRO ASSESSMENT OF ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL AND ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE-MEDIATED ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY AGAINST ASCARIDIA GALLI INFECTIONS OF THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF TYLOPHORA INDICA

Abstract: Medicinal plants have long been used in traditional medicine for their healing properties. Tylophora indica stands out for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anthelmintic effects. However, its potential, especially its antioxidant activity and AChE-mediated anthelmintic action against Ascaridia galli, is not fully understood. This study focused on evaluating the ethanolic, aqueous, and chloroform extracts of Tylophora indica for their phytochemical content, antioxidant ability, effectiveness in managing oxidative stress and parasitic infections, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity, and anthelmintic activity of Tylophora indica against Ascaridia galli infections. The sequential Soxhlet extraction of Tylophora indica leaves yielded chloroform (7.2%), ethanol (17.8%), and aqueous (11.2%) extracts. Phytochemical screening revealed that the ethanol extract contained the highest diversity of bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, and terpenoids, while the aqueous extract was rich in water-soluble glycosides and carbohydrates. The antioxidant potential was evaluated using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. The ethanol extract exhibited the strongest activity, achieving 99.61 ± 7.0% inhibition in the DPPH assay and 99.96 ± 5.02% in the ABTS assay at 500 µg/mL, with IC50 values of 137.82 µg/mL and 130.69 µg/mL, respectively. The aqueous extract demonstrated moderate antioxidant activity, while the chloroform extract showed the least activity owing to its limited polar compound content. Anthelmintic activity was assessed by observing motility, morbidity, and mortality of Ascaridia galli worms. The ethanol extract exhibited rapid and potent anthelmintic activity, achieving 100% worm mortality within 24 h at concentrations of ≥ 3 mg/mL. The aqueous extract displayed moderate activity, with delayed effects, whereas the chloroform extract showed minimal efficacy. The ethanolic extract also demonstrated significant AChE inhibitory activity, with an IC50 value of 87.5 ± 5.6 µg/mL. Inhibition increased dose-dependently, reaching 90.1 ± 6.27% at 250 µg/mL. The results highlight the presence of polar bioactive compounds such as alkaloids and flavonoids, which contribute to the antioxidant, anthelmintic, and AChE inhibitory properties of the extract. In conclusion, the ethanolic extract of Tylophora indica exhibited superior pharmacological potential, making it a promising natural candidate for the treatment of oxidative stress-related disorders and parasitic infections.