Anthelmintic activity of saikosaponins a and d from radix bupleuri against Dactylogyrus spp. infecting goldfish.

Disease caused by the parasitic helminths Dactylogyrus spp. results in significant economic damage to the aquaculture industry. Treatment using common chemicals (e.g. formalin) is usually dissatisfactory due to environmental problems, risk of residues, toxicity to fish, and the possibility of anthelmintic resistance. The search for an alternative drug is thus becoming more urgent. This study was designed to evaluate in vivo the anthelmintic efficacy of total saponin (TS), saikosaponin a (SSa), and saikosaponin d (SSd) from radix bupleuri (i.e. the dried root of Bupleurum sp.) based on our previous screening works, with the aim of determining which has commercial potential. Results showed that median effective concentration (EC₅₀) values for TS, SSa, and SSd were 2.01, 1.46, and 0.74 mg l⁻¹, respectively. The acute toxicities against goldfish Carassius auratus for TS, SSa, and SSd were also determined, with median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of 8.99, 11.20, and 1.54 mg l-1, respectively. The resulting therapeutic indices (TIs) indicated that SSa (TI = 7.67) is a potential therapeutic agent for treating Dactylogyrus infection.