In vitro acaricidal effects of essential oils against Rhipicephalus microplus via bioinformatics targeting of triosephosphate isomerase

IF 1.4 Q3 PARASITOLOGY

Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports Pub Date : 2025-10-01 DOI:10.1016/j.vprsr.2025.101354

Paola Cristina Colombo , Arthur Gasetta Batista , João Guilherme Martins , Gabriel Nunes de Oliveira , Marco Tulio da Silva Oliveira , Giulia Poncione de Araujo , Sabrina Nathalia Louzada Nogueira , Rafael Paranhos de Mendonça , Ricardo Andrade Furtado , Isabela Cristina Gomes Honório , Silvio de Almeida-Junior

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus poses a significant threat to animal health in tropical and subtropical regions, causing substantial economic losses in the meat and dairy industries. This study evaluated the potential of 20 essential oils as acaricidal agents, combining in vitro assays and in silico analyses to predict toxicity and efficacy. In the in vitro tests, the oils were assessed for their ability to reduce tick oviposition. The best results were observed at a 6 % concentration, with Eucalyptus citriodora showing the highest reduction (96.5 %), followed by Betula lenta (88.9 %), Amyris balsamifera (71.3 %), and Cinnamomum cassia (47.1 %). At a 3 % concentration, Amyris balsamifera (67.6 %) and Betula lenta (4.6 %) also showed significant efficacy, while the 1 % concentration had a limited impact on reducing oviposition, not meeting the legal efficacy criterion (>95 %). Concurrently, in silico analyses were conducted using the SwissDock platform to predict the molecular interactions of natural compounds with specific biological targets. The results revealed the free binding energy (estimated ΔG) and the amino acid residues involved in the interactions, allowing for the comparison of the compounds' affinity with reference drugs. The data indicated that some compounds present in the essential oils demonstrated considerable target affinity, suggesting a promising mechanism of action against the tick's reproductive cycle. These findings highlight the potential of essential oils as natural alternatives for controlling Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, especially at higher concentrations. However, the efficacy at lower concentrations and the toxicity in host animals need further investigation before practical application.

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基于三磷酸异构酶生物信息学的精油体外杀螨效果研究

微型鼻头蜱（Boophilus）对热带和亚热带地区的动物健康构成重大威胁，给肉类和乳制品行业造成重大经济损失。本研究评估了20种精油作为杀螨剂的潜力，结合体外试验和计算机分析来预测毒性和功效。在体外试验中，评估了这些油减少蜱虫产卵的能力。浓度为6%时效果最好，其中尤加利（Eucalyptus citriodora）的减毒率最高（96.5%），其次是香桦（Betula lenta）（88.9%）、苦艾（Amyris balsamifera）（71.3%）和桂皮（Cinnamomum cassia）（47.1%）。在3%浓度下，苦参（67.6%）和香桦（4.6%）也有显著效果，而1%浓度对减少产卵的影响有限，未达到法定效果标准（95%）。同时，使用SwissDock平台进行了硅分析，以预测天然化合物与特定生物靶点的分子相互作用。结果揭示了自由结合能（估计ΔG）和参与相互作用的氨基酸残基，允许将化合物与参考药物的亲和力进行比较。数据表明，精油中存在的一些化合物表现出相当大的靶向亲和力，这表明一种有希望的对抗蜱虫繁殖周期的作用机制。这些发现突出了精油作为控制微角鼻虫（Boophilus）的天然替代品的潜力，特别是在较高浓度下。但在实际应用前，低浓度下的药效和对宿主动物的毒性有待进一步研究。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports Multiple-

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

7.10%

发文量

126

审稿时长

97 days

期刊介绍： Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports focuses on aspects of veterinary parasitology that are of regional concern, which is especially important in this era of climate change and the rapid and often unconstrained travel of people and animals. Relative to regions, this journal will accept papers of the highest quality dealing with all aspects of disease prevention, pathology, treatment, epidemiology, and control of parasites within the field of veterinary medicine. Also, case reports will be considered as they add to information related to local disease and its control; such papers must be concise and represent appropriate medical intervention. Papers on veterinary parasitology from wildlife species are acceptable, but only if they relate to the practice of veterinary medicine. Studies on vector-borne bacterial and viral agents are suitable, but only if the paper deals with vector transmission of these organisms to domesticated animals. Studies dealing with parasite control by means of natural products, both in vivo and in vitro, are more suited for one of the many journals that now specialize in papers of this type. However, due to the regional nature of much of this research, submissions may be considered based upon a case being made by the author(s) to the Editor. Circumstances relating to animal experimentation must meet the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals as issued by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (obtainable from: Executive Secretary C.I.O.M.S., c/o W.H.O., Via Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland).