¹Department of Zoology, Faculty of Chemical & Biological Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, PAKISTAN
²Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, PAKISTAN
³Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, PAKISTAN
⁴Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21944, SAUDI ARABIA
⁵Biological Sciences Department, College of Science & Arts, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh 21911, SAUDI ARABIA DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2026.36217 Medicinal plants play an important role in addressing global health challenges in both humans and livestock, particularly those associated with gastrointestinal parasitic infections. The present study aimed to conduct comprehensive LC-MS-based phytochemical profiling of various Cassia fistula extracts and their anthelmintic activity against gastrointestinal parasites in sheep and goats. In vitro anthelmintic efficacy of crude extracts prepared from different plant parts (leaves, stem, fruit, and root) was evaluated using two-fold serial dilutions, with 50 mg/mL as the stock concentration. Levamisole, Oxfendazole, and Albendazole were used as positive controls, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as the negative control. Based on in vitro performance, the ethanol fruit extract and crude fruit powder were further assessed in vivo in goats (n=40) at dose rates of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight. Phytochemical characterization of all extracts was carried out using LC-MS analysis under both positive and negative electrospray ionization modes. Treatment with the crude ethanol fruit extract against Haemonchus contortus, resulted in mortality of all adult parasites within 4 h and 90.33% inhibition of egg hatching at 50 mg/mL, which was comparable and significantly higher than the positive controls (P<0.05). In case of the in vivo study at Day 21, crude fruit ethanol extract with the highest dose (1000 mg/kg) significantly reduced parasite burden of 90.78±0.55%, which was comparable to ABL (87.91±2.08%) (P>0.05). A total of 220 compounds were identified in LC-MS analysis of C. fistula including anti-parasitic constituents; quercetin, kaempferol, gallic acid, and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives. These findings suggest that C. fistula fruits possess notable anthelmintic potential as a natural alternative to synthetic anthelmintics. However, further studies, including detailed toxicity assessments and dose optimization, are required to establish their safety and therapeutic applicability in livestock. Keywords : Anthelmintic efficacy, C. fistula, Gallic acid, H. contortus, LC-MS analysis