In vitro Anthelmintic Efficacy of Nano-encapsulated Bromelain against Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Goats in Kenya

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) significantly affect goats’ productivity, and thus farmers carry out regular deworming to manage the infections. The emergence of anthelmintic resistance and the high cost of current drugs call for the development of alternatives, including medicinal plant extracts. The current study aimed to assess the anthelmintic efficacy of chitosan encapsulated bromelain (EB) against a selected range of GIN affecting goats in Kenya. Bromelain was extracted using standard laboratory methods from peels of ripe pineapples and thereafter encapsulated with chitosan. The GIN eggs were isolated from goat feces using the flotation method and were then subjected to PCR to identify the species. Adult worms were collected from the gastrointestinal tract of goats slaughtered at the nearby Ruiru abattoir. The PCR showed the extracted strongyle eggs consisted of 7 species of nematodes, including Haemonchus contortus, Oesophagostomum spp., Nematodirus filicollis, Ostertagia ostertagi, Trichostrongylus vitrinus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, and Trichostrongylus axei. The in vitro assays showed that chitosan EB had an IC50 of 0.184 mg/mL, 0.116 mg/mL, and 0.141 mg/mL for the egg hatch inhibition, larval, and adult mortality assays, respectively. In all the assays, EB indicated better activity than non-encapsulated bromelain. The EB affected the eggs and worms through softening and embrittling the cuticle and shell as well as damaging the blastomeres and causing the death of the growing embryo. According to the results of the current study, EB has high anthelmintic activity on a large range of GIN and has the potential to contribute to the management of these parasites of small ruminants.