Artemisia, a Promising Tool for Integrated Parasite Control.

Abstract

The genus Artemisia, belonging to the family Asteraceae, comprises nearly 500 species with various pharmacological properties, such as antimalarial, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, nematocidal, and cesticidal activities. Gastrointestinal parasites pose a significant health concern in animals, resulting in substantial financial losses due to the ineffectiveness of current prevention and control measures, further compounded by the rise of antiparasitic resistance. Consequently, there has been a surge in research endeavors aimed at identifying sustainable alternatives to address this issue, with a particular focus on herbalism due to its promise in this field. Artemisia has been identified as a source of secondary metabolites with the potential to kill parasites, making it a promising natural alternative to synthetic drugs. The objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the genus Artemisia and its application in the control of gastrointestinal parasites. A comprehensive search was conducted using multiple databases, including Springer, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Latindex, PubMed, and SciELo, with specific keywords such as "Artemisia, Artemisin, gastrointestinal parasites, effect, resistance". After a thorough review of the literature, 15 articles were identified as meeting the selection criteria. These articles encompassed studies on plants from the genus Artemisia, exploring their response to parasites in both free and endogenous life stages. Additionally, the review included studies on molecules derived from plants in the genus Artemisia, their ethnobotanical applications in addressing parasites, and their ethnoveterinary uses. These studies demonstrated that Artemisia, whether in vivo or in vitro, exhibited an impact on various gastrointestinal parasites and yielded positive or negative outcomes in the treatment of different parasite species.