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Seasonal analysis and acaricidal activity of the thymol-type essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum and its major constituents against Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)

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Abstract

The tick Rhipicephalus microplus affects cattle health, with production loss in tropical and subtropical regions. Moreover, the use of commercial acaricides has been reduced due to the resistance of this parasite. Although alternatives such as plant bioactive molecules have been sought, essential oils present variations in their chemical constituents due to environmental factors, which can interfere with their acaricidal activity. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the seasonal influence of the essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum and its major constituents on acaricidal activity against R. microplus larvae. A high-yield essential oil of O. gratissimum and its major constituents were used, and a plant with a thymol-type oil was selected for seasonal analysis and acaricidal activity against R. microplus. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry (MS) were employed to identify 31 oil constituents (average yield of 6.26%). The main compounds were found to be thymol (33.4 to 47.9%), γ-terpinene (26.2 to 36.8%), and p-cymene (4.3 to 17.0%). Concerning acaricidal activity, the December (LC50 0.84 mg/mL) and September (LC50 1.58 mg/mL) oils obtained in the dry season were the most active, and assays performed with commercial standards revealed LC50 values of p-cymene, thymol, and γ-terpinene of 1.41, 1.81, and 3.08 mg/mL, respectively. Overall, lower acaricidal activities were found for oils produced from plants harvested in the rainy season. The results showed that seasonal variation in the chemical composition of the O. gratissimum essential oil influences its acaricidal activity. The seasonal variations in the thymol-type essential oil of O. gratissimum can represent an important strategy for the control of R. microplus.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank CNPq (The Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) for awarding a fellowship to L.M. Costa-Júnior, CAPES (Brazilian Federal Agency for support and evaluation of graduate education) and FAPEMA (Maranhão State Research Foundation) for the scholarships to A.S. Lima and M.N. Milhomem, respectively. We also thank CNPq and FAPEMA for their financial support and Dr. JRS Martins for donating the R. microplus strain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Patologia, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil

    Aldilene Silva Lima, Alana Carynne Pereira Arruda & Lívio Martins Costa-Junior

  2. Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil

    Marlise Neves Milhomem

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil

    Odair Santos Monteiro, Joaquim Antônio Martins de Castro & Yan Michel Lopes Fernandes

  4. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais da Amazônia, Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Santarém, PA, Brazil

    José Guilherme Soares Maia

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  1. Aldilene Silva Lima
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  2. Marlise Neves Milhomem
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  3. Odair Santos Monteiro
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  4. Alana Carynne Pereira Arruda
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  5. Joaquim Antônio Martins de Castro
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  7. José Guilherme Soares Maia
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  8. Lívio Martins Costa-Junior
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Correspondence to Lívio Martins Costa-Junior.

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This study was approved by the UFMA ethics committee, under number 23115018061/2011-01.

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Silva Lima, A., Milhomem, M.N., Santos Monteiro, O. et al. Seasonal analysis and acaricidal activity of the thymol-type essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum and its major constituents against Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae). Parasitol Res 117, 59–65 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5662-0

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