Ovocidal Effect of Achillea salicifolia and Hedysarum Gmelinii Extracts on Toxocara Cati Eggs in an in Vitro Experiment

Abstract

This study investigated the ovicidal activity of Achillea salicifolia and Hedysarum gmelinii extracts against Toxocara cati eggs under in vitro conditions. Two concentrations (5% and 10%) and four exposure times (0.5, 1, 24, 48 h) were tested in triplicate. The proportion of viable and non-viable eggs, embryo destruction, and shell degeneration were recorded microscopically. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post-hoc test (p < 0.05). At early exposure (0.5–1 h), all treatments showed high viability (≥60%) with no significant differences from the control (p > 0.05). After 24 h, egg non-viability markedly increased in both plant extracts: A. salicifolia 5% = 81.0 ± 3.5%, 10% = 88.0 ± 2.9%; H. gmelinii 5% = 77.0 ± 3.8%, 10% = 82.0 ± 3.3%. Embryo destruction reached 45–52%, and shell degeneration 40–48%. At 48 h, maximal ovicidal effects were observed: A. salicifolia 10% = 89.0 ± 2.7% non-viable eggs (p < 0.01), embryo destruction 60 ± 4%, shell degeneration 55 ± 5%; H. gmelinii 10% = 87.0 ± 3.1% (p < 0.05), embryo destruction 57 ± 4%, shell degeneration 51 ± 4%. Phenol (4%) produced the highest ovicidal effect (94.0 ± 1.2% non-viable, p < 0.001), whereas the untreated control maintained >90% viability. The results demonstrate a clear time- and concentration-dependent pattern. A. salicifolia exhibited faster onset of action, while H. gmelinii showed slower, cumulative effects associated with progressive embryonic destruction and shell degradation. Both extracts displayed moderate but significant ovicidal activity, highlighting their potential as environmentally friendly botanical alternatives to conventional chemical ovicides for managing Toxocara contamination.