Comparative study of the anthelmintic activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Atriplex halimus, the anti-echinococcal plant used in Algeria.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) remains a major human public health problem in Algeria. Surgical treatment is the gold standard. However, one of the most critical complications of surgery is a recurrence of the disease, which is attributed to the dissemination of protoscoleces during the operation. This study aimed to compare the scolicidal effect of two ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Atriplex halimus, a plant used by the Algerian population against CE. The comparison involved the assessment of the phytochemical content, making screening using GC-MS/MS, and the evaluation of the antioxidant activity using DPPH and the in vitro scolicidal effect of A. halimus extracts. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of leaves contained 19.601 ± 0.016 and 15.406 ± 0.003 mg of gallic acid equivalent per g of extract (GAE/g extract) of total phenolic. However, the flavonoid content in ethanolic and aqueous extracts was 4.350 ± 0.023 and 1.995 ± 0.026 mg of quercetin equivalent per g (QE/g extract), respectively. Four compounds were identified by GC-MS/MS for the ethanolic extract, while twenty-three compounds were determined for the aqueous extract. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts of A. halimus demonstrated an antioxidant activity with IC50 = 0.850 ± 0.026 mg/ml and IC50 = 0.897 ± 0.060 mg/ml, respectively. The higher in vitro scolicidal effect was 100% after 90 min and 10 min at 100 and 150 mg/ml, respectively for the ethanolic extract and after 120 and 60 min at 100 and 150 mg/ml, respectively for the aqueous extract. Atriplex halimus could be used as a natural source for the production of a potential scolicidal agent for use during CE surgery and/or percutaneous interventions.