In small ruminants, internal parasites represent a serious problem in flocks maintained in grazing systems, particularly in areas with high temperature and humidity levels, such as the tropics and subtropics (Zajac and Garza, 2020). Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) are parasites with high prevalence in the sheep and goat industry (González-Garduño et al., 2014; Zajac and Garza, 2020). Haemonchus contortus is one the main GIN and inhabits the abomasum of the animals, where it exerts a hematophagous habit and, as a consequence, causes internal haemorrhages, anaemia and, in acute infections, the death of its host (Kotze and Prichard, 2016; Kaplan, 2020). Currently, the main strategy for controlling GIN is the use of commercial anthelmintics such as benzimidazoles, macrocyclic lactones and imidazothiazoles. However, the incorrect use of these drugs has induced the parasites to develop self-defence mechanisms that allow them to survive the anthelmintic doses recommended by the manufacturer. This mechanism is known as anthelmintic resistance and represents a difficult challenge for the livestock industry (Claerebout et al., 2020).

In this context, searching for other alternatives for parasite control, such as the use of copper particles, nutritional management, biological control and plants rich in secondary metabolites with anthelmintic activity, is necessary (Jiao et al., 2020; Jayawardene et al., 2021; Jaramillo-Tlalapango et al., 2023). Several secondary compounds obtained from plant extracts of different families such as Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae and Anacardiaceae have been identified. Among these metabolites, the group of phenolic compounds such as gallic acid, naringenin, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and other hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives showed considerable anthelmintic activity against GIN, including H. contortus (Zarza-Albarrán et al., 2020; García-Hernández et al., 2022; Cortes-Morales et al., 2023).

Cyrtocarpa procera is an arboreal plant of the family Anacardiaceae and commonly referred to as “Chucumpum” in Mexico. Its fruits are consumed by humans, and the species is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various symptoms and diseases. For example, the bark, leaves and stems are used as natural antioxidants, for stomach pain and as antidysenterics (Nawwar et al., 2011). Some secondary metabolites, i.e., flavonoids including naringenin, kaempferol, quercetin and catechin, with different bioactivities like antioxidant, antibacterial and anthelmintic have been identified in this species (Nawwar et al., 2011; Ngameni et al., 2013; Rodríguez-Canales et al., 2020). The objective of this study was to investigate whether a hydroalcoholic extract obtained from Cyrtocarpa procera fruits has a lethal effect on eggs and infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus and to determine its main chemical compounds that could be responsible for such activity.