Selected α-pyrones from the plants Cryptocarya novoguineensis (Lauraceae) and Piper methysticum (Piperaceae) with activity against Haemonchus contortus in vitro

Due to the widespread occurrence and spread of anthelmintic resistance, there is a need to develop new drugs against resistant parasitic nematodes of livestock animals. The Nobel Prize-winning discovery and development of the anti-parasitic drugs avermectin and artemisinin has renewed the interest in exploring natural products as anthelmintics. In the present study, we screened 7500 plant extracts for in vitro-activity against the barber's pole worm, Haemonchus contortus, a highly significant pathogen of ruminants. The anthelmintic extracts from two plants, Cryptocarya novoguineensis and Piper methysticum, were fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Subsequently, compounds were purified from fractions with significant biological activity. Four α-pyrones, namely goniothalamin (GNT), dihydrokavain (DHK), desmethoxyyangonin (DMY) and yangonin (YGN), were purified from fractions from the two plants, GNT from C. novoguineensis, and DHK, DMY and YGN (= kavalactones) from P. methysticum. The three kavalactones induced a lethal, eviscerated (Evi) phenotype in treated exsheathed third-stage larvae (xL3s), and DMY and YGN had moderate potencies (IC₅₀ values of 31.7 ± 0.23 μM and 23.7 ± 2.05 μM, respectively) at inhibiting the development of xL3s to fourth-stage larvae (L4s). Although GNT had limited potency (IC₅₀ of 200-300 μM) at inhibiting L4 development, it was the only compound that reduced L4 motility (IC₅₀ of 6.25-12.50 μM). The compounds purified from each plant affected H. contortus in an irreversible manner. These findings suggest that structure-activity relationship studies of α-pyrones should be pursued to assess their potential as anthelmintics.