Moringa oleifera as a Natural Alternative for the Control of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Equines: A Review

Abstract

Studies have shown a wide variety of parasites that infect horses, causing major gastrointestinal damage that can lead to death, and although the main method of control has been synthetic anthelmintics, there are parasites that have developed resistance to these drugs. For generations, plants have been used throughout the world as a cure or treatment for countless diseases and their symptoms, as is the case of Moringa oleifera, a plant native to the western region. In all its organs, mainly in leaves, M. oleifera presents a diversity of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, saponins, and vitamins, which provide antioxidant power to the plant. The compounds with the greatest antiparasitic activity are tannins and saponins, and they affect both the larvae and the oocytes of various equine gastrointestinal parasites. Therefore, M. oleifera is a promising source for the natural control of gastrointestinal parasites in horses.

Keywords: Moringa oleifera; bioactive compounds; equines; gastrointestinal parasites; natural antiparasitics.

Figure 1

Life cycle of gastrointestinal nematodes: (a) adult females lay eggs in the host’s gastrointestinal tract, (b) eggs are shed by the host in feces, (c) first instar larvae remain in the bundles, (d) first instar larvae pass to second instars in feces, (e) second instar larvae become infective third instar larvae and migrate to vegetation, and (f) in the infective third instar larvae stage, they are ingested by the host and finally become adults within the cecum/colon.

Figure 2

Life cycle of Leishmania in equines and M. oleifera-induced promastigote inhibition. (a) Insects inject promastigotes into the skin of equine, (b) Promastigotes are phagocytized by macrophages, (c) Promastigotes transform into amastigotes, (d) Amastigotes multiply and leave infected cells to infect new cells of various tissues, and (e) Sandfly takes blood with infected macrophages.