Fatty acids and terpenes from methanolic extract of Artemisia cina as possible responsible for ovicidal effect on Haemonchus contortus

Haemonchus contortus is a blood-sucking nematode with a high reproduction rate, considered the main problem in small grazing ruminants. Therefore, alternative treatments based on the use of plant extracts are sought. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ovicidal activity of Artemisia cina against the parasite Haemonchus contortus and to chemically characterize the extract with the highest biological activity through gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extracts to be evaluated were obtained using the maceration technique using methanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane. The extracts were dried completely and challenged against H. contortus eggs using the egg hatch inhibition technique described by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP). The methanolic extract (EM) showed 100% ovicidal activity at a concentration of 4.25 mg/ml, being the most active at a low concentration, therefore it was characterized with GC-MS. The EM mainly has fatty acids and terpenes; of them, hexadecanoic acid and 2-[4-methyl-6-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-1-enyl) exa-1,3,5-trienyl][cyclohex]-1-ene-carboxyaldehyde. The characterized compounds have shown previously reported anthelmintic activity, so the ovicidal activity may be associated with these. In conclusion, the methanolic extract of A. cina had a higher ovicidal activity at low concentrations, this is probably due to the presence of fatty acids and terpenes.