Evaluation of the direct and immunomodulatory activity of new plants extracts as a potential food additive

International audienceAlternative strategies to chemical anthelmintic are needed for the sustainable control of equine strongylids (cyathostomins). Some plants have anthelmintic or immune system stimulating activity which, when added to the diet as a nutraceutical or food additive, have beneficial effects on health or prevent an infection (Sandoval-Castro et al., 2012). To identify potential extract or plant with such anthelmintic or immunomodulatory effects, a literature search was realized using the United State Department of Agriculture database and published records extracted from NCBI Pubmed. The candidate list was further downsized to xx compounds or plants according to intellectual property rights and phytotherapy indication. The candidates have been subjected to in vitro assays aiming to quantify their ability to inhibit cyathostomin larval development (direct activity) and to modulate the inflammatory response of murine macrophage cell lines (RAW 264.7) and equine PBMCs. Following this screening, current evidence suggest that carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde were the most potent compounds. To further refine our understanding of their activity, a differential gene expression analysis will be performed on equine monocytes stimulated or not by parasite antigen in combination or not with these extracts. This will uncover mechanisms of the horse-parasite response while establishing the first hints on the mode of action of these two compounds