Evaluation of In-Silico and In-Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Heydotis Aspera (Heyne ex Roth) Using Pheretima Posthuma

Worm infections and their complications are serious problems affecting millions worldwide. Drug resistance has made alternative drug therapies desirable for worm infections owing to the failure of synthetic drugs. The ethnomedicinal plant Heydotis aspera (H. aspera) contains several secondary metabolites. Traditionally, its medicinal value has been attributed to plants. Methanol was extracted from whole H. aspera (MEHA) plants. Pheretima posthuma was used to assess anthelmintic activity in vitro, whereas AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking using β-tubulin as the target. MEHA demonstrated the highest dose-dependent anthelmintic activity at various doses. It was found that Androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione, out of all the phytocompounds, had the most substantial docking rating of -7.4, which is more effective than the standard (-6.7), ensuring strong interactions between the ligand and β-tubulin. A potent anthelmintic effect of MEHA against P. posthuma was observed in in silico and in vitro studies. In addition, in vivo experiments must be performed to confirm the results obtained in vitro.