Moringa oleifera is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants for various conditions in India. The present experiment was much focused to explore the in-vitro anthelmintic activity of aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera seeds and its synthesised silver nanoparticles against strongyle nematodes of small ruminants. The synthesised silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV spectrophotometer, TEM, SEM and FTIR analysis. The in-vitro anthelmintic activity was carried out by egg hatch assay using various concentrations of aqueous extract and its synthesised silver nanoparticles and compared with the standard anthelmintic drug, thiabendazole.

The qualitative phytochemical analysis of the aqueous seed extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids and sterols. On characterization, the UV- spectrophotometer analysis showed a peak at 460.8 nm. The Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy analysis showed particles with the size of 10-30 nm and 30 nm respectively. The Fourier transform infrared analysis exhibited peaks at various absorbance, indicating the presence of alkynes, amines, ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic acids.

The results of the egg hatch assay indicated a significant difference in the percentage of inhibition of hatching at different doses. The aqueous extracts and silver nanoparticles of Moringa oleifera seeds showed 95% and 81% inhibition on egg hatching at the concentration of 50 mg/ml and 8 mg/ml respectively.

This study demonstrated an ovicidal activity by both aqueous and synthesised silver nanoparticles of Moringa oleifera seed extract and paved the way for further research with their bioactive metabolites as nano preparation responsible for this activity.