Inhibitory activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Anancardium occidentale L. leaves against Brugia malayi hexokinase, a target for anti-filarial drug development

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Globally, 859 million people in 50 countries are threatened by lymphatic filariasis. Due to its severity, the available drugs are mainly used for microfilaricidal and do not kill efficiently the adult parasites, which continue to produce microfilariae. Therefore, the present study aims to develop a plant-based macrofilaricidal drug. Methods: The inhibitory activity of the various solvent extracts of the leaves of Anacardium occidentale L. (Anacardiaceae) was tested against the recombinant hexokinase of B. malayi (BmHk). BmHK, an enzyme of the glycolytic pathway that plays a vital role in the replication/survival of filarial parasites, was chosen as a target. A preliminary phytochemical test and GC-FID analysis of the extract were carried out. Results: The hydroalcoholic extract of A. occidentale showed the highest inhibition (65.80±1.60%) of activity of BmHk, compared to other extracts, which showed less than 50% inhibition. Conclusion: The present study showed that hydroalcoholic extract of A. occidentale has inhibitory activity against BmHk and can be explored further for developing the herbal-based anti-filarial drug.