EVALUATION OF THE ANTHELMINTIC EFFICACY OF TANNIC ACID IN AN IN VITRO EARTHWORM MODEL (PHERETIMA POSTHUMA)

ABSTRACT:Background: Helminthic infections continue to pose a significant public health challengeworldwide, particularly in developing countries, necessitating the exploration of safe andeffective alternative anthelmintic agents. Tannic acid, a naturally occurring polyphenoliccompound, has attracted considerable attention due to its diverse biological activities, includingpotential antiparasitic properties.Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic efficacy oftannic acid against Pheretima posthuma and compare its activity with the standard anthelminticdrug, albendazole.Materials and Methods: Adult Indian earthworms (Pheretima posthuma) were exposed totannic acid at concentrations of 20, 40, and 60 mg/mL. Albendazole (20 mg/mL) served as thereference standard. Six worms were included in each treatment group (n = 6). Anthelminticactivity was assessed by recording the mean time required for paralysis and death of the worms.The results were expressed as mean ± SEM and analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed byDunnett's multiple comparison test.Results: Tannic acid exhibited a concentration-dependent anthelmintic effect. At 20 mg/mL,paralysis and death occurred at 6.200 ± 0.1897 min and 12.117 ± 0.1169 min, respectively.Increasing the concentration to 40 mg/mL reduced the paralysis and death times to 4.633 ±0.1506 min and 7.183 ± 0.1602 min, respectively. The highest concentration (60 mg/mL)produced the greatest activity, causing paralysis within 3.000 ± 0.1414 min and death within5.667 ± 0.0817 min, which was comparable to the standard albendazole (3.367 ± 0.1862 min and6.450 ± 0.1049 min, respectively).Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that tannic acid possesses significant concentration-dependent in vitro anthelmintic activity against Pheretima posthuma. Its efficacy at 60 mg/mLwas comparable to the standard drug, indicating that tannic acid may serve as a promising naturalcandidate for the development of novel anthelmintic agents. Further in vivo and mechanisticstudies are required to validate its therapeutic potential.