Background/Aims: Datepalm fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) is a popular and nutritious food which has been shown to contain many bioactive compounds like carotenoids and phenolics. There is increasing number of scientific reports documenting the health benefits of datepalm fruit. We aim to systematically review the literature for any evidence of the anthelmintic efficacy of datepalm fruit.
Methods: We systematically searched Medline, Ebschohost, ProQuest, Scopus for reports of any studies investigating the anthelmintic effect of datepalm fruit. Search terms included date, palm, phoenix, dactylifera, helminth, anthelmint*. At least two authors independently assessed eligibility of extracted data.
Results: A total of 10 studies were retrieved from the search. However, after further screening the titles and abstracts, only 1 article matched the inclusion criteria for original publication on the anthelmintic effect of datepalm fruit. It was found that datepalm fruit extract had decreased motility of Trichuris muris and Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae in vitro. Datepalm fruit extract fed to mice infected with Trichuris muris resulted in an arithmetic decrease in faecal egg count during and after treatment. However, these results were not analysed statistically.
Conclusions: Our review revealed the only evidence of the anthelmintic effect of datepalm fruit against parasitic nematodes. The work however, was inconclusive due to lack of statistical analyses and proper experimental design and methodology warranting further systematic and rigorous works to investigate the potential anthelmintic efficacy of datepalm fruit.
Funding source(s): USIM/NRGS