Effects of extracts of the bark of the stem of Croton tiglium on the metabolism of the freshwater gastropod Lymnaea acuminata

摘要

Aqueous extracts of the bark of the stem of the plant Croton tiglium (Euphorbiaceae) was found to have strong molluscicidal activity against the snail Lymnaea acuminata. Exposure of low doses of aqueous extracts of the bark for 96 h significantly altered the levels of total protein, total free amino acid, glycogen, nucleic acids, pyruvate, lactate, and the activity of the enzymes acetylcholinesterase, lactic dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase, protease, succinic dehydrogenase, and acid and alkaline phosphatase in nervous tissue, the hepato-pancreas, and the ovotestis of the freshwater snail Lymnaea acuminata. The effect in all the cases was dose-dependent. A second study showed that there was significant recovery in the snail's tissues after the seventh day of withdrawal of treatment.