Antifilarial Effect of Solamargine Isolated from Solatium khasianum

Abstract

An active principle isolated from the ripe berries of Solarium khasianum is a steroidal alkaloid glycoside, solamargine, which killed in vitro 100% adults and microfilariae (mf) of Setaria cervi at a 4 mg/ml concentration in 60 and 88 min, respectively. The drug, when administered orally at 100 mg/ kg to rats, in which S. cervi adults were implanted intraperitoneally, reduced the blood mf count by more than 30% after the first phase of treatment for 10 days. The mf count showed an increase of 72% after the second phase of treatment. Following the third and the fourth phases of treatments, the mf density was reduced by more than 90%. One hundred percent reduction of mf count was obtained 15 days after the fourth and final phase of treatment which was of 5 days duration. At the evaluated dose (100 mg/kg × 4 phases), solamargine killed 100% of adult worms without incident toxicity.