IN VITRO ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF UNRIPE FRUITS AND IN SILICO STUDIES IN LEAF OF LAWSONIA INERMIS L.

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic activity of unripe fruit extracts of Lawsonia inermis L. and to assess the in silico binding potential of leaf-derived phytochemicals in comparison with the standard anthelmintic drug albendazole. Methods: Unripe fruits of Lawsonia inermis L. were extracted using hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous solvents. Anthelmintic activity was evaluated at concentrations of 5, 10, and 15 mg/mL by recording the time to paralysis and death of worms. Preliminary phytochemical screening was performed to identify major constituents. For computational studies, 20 reported leaf phytoconstituents were screened for ADME properties, and 12 compounds satisfying Lipinski’s rule of five were subjected to molecular docking using SwissDock. Albendazole was docked as the standard reference drug. Results: The hexane extract exhibited the strongest anthelmintic activity at 15 mg/mL, while other extracts showed moderate, concentration-dependent effects. Phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, tannins, flavonoids, and proteins. Docking studies revealed that compound C9 showed the highest binding affinity (−8.414 kcal/mol), which was higher than albendazole (−7.858 kcal/mol), while several other phytoconstituents showed comparable binding. Conclusion: The results indicate that unripe fruits and leaf-derived phytoconstituents of Lawsonia inermis L. possess promising anthelmintic potential. The comparative docking with albendazole supports the potential of selected phytoconstituents as effective β-tubulin inhibitors and prospective plant-based anthelmintic agents.