Toxic action of substances from male fern Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott (1834) on free-living soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Maupas (1900)

Abstract

The study of biological activity of extracts from roots and rhizomes of male fern Dryopteris filix-mas was carried out in experiments with soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The toxicity of extracts of D. filix-mas roots and rhizomes obtained by different methods varied over a wide range. Crude extract of male fern roots and rhizomes in concentration range 62.5–250 µg/ml had a weak toxic action on C. elegans organism by inducing death of 26.0–43.3% nematodes. The toxicity of relatively high concentrations (500 and 250 µg/ml) of water-ethanolic extracts might be compared with such of crude extract in concentrations 62.5–250 µg/ml. Biological activity of filicinic acids ethers was found very high: concentrations of crude extract of D. filix-mas roots and rhizomes and concentrations of filicinic acids ethers with similar toxicity for C. elegans organism were 40-fold different. Substances isolated from D. filix-mas roots and rhizomes have nematicidal activity and may be used for development of drugs to treat helminthiasis of humans and animals.