Acaricidal Activity of Artemisia nilagirica Leaves Against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus Ticks

• Published in: Planta medica Vol. 86; no. 18; p. 1335
• Main Authors: Udayan, Darsana, Nair, Suresh Narayanan, Juliet, Sanis, Ravindran, Reghu, Athalathil, Sunil, Adarshkrishna, Thumadath Palayullaparambil, Ajithkumar, Karapparambu Gopalan, Sreelekha, Kana Padinchareveetil, Chandrashekar, Leena, Ghosh, Srikant
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01-12-2020
• Subjects: Acaricides - pharmacology; Animals; Artemisia; India; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Leaves; Rhipicephalus; India
• ISSN: 1439-0221
• DOI: 10.1055/a-1161-0220

Since time immemorial, human beings have used various parts of plants in either prevention or treatment of ailments. Plants are rich sources of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds with a high structural diversity. Many plants/herbs with specific biological activities such as antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, sedative, and acaricidal activity have been reported.
(C. B. Clarke) Pamp. (Compositae) is a plant traditionally used for insect control in the southern part of India. Previous studies have demonstrated the activity of
species against pests. The present study thus evaluates the acaricidal activity of crude ethanolic extract of
leaves and its fractions against
. Ticks are ectoparasites that transmit several protozoal, viral, and rickettsial diseases. In south India,
is the commonly observed tick species. Control of these acarine parasites that adversely affect milk and meat production is a tough task. Chemical acaricides such as organophosphates, synthetic pyrethroids, amitraz, and ivermectin are commonly used in tick control. The high cost, environmental hazards, and development of acaricidal resistance are some of the drawbacks of these chemical acaricides. Plant-based formulations are one of the promising approaches for the control of ectoparasites. Previously, extracts from various medicinal/aromatic plants were reported for acaricidal activity from our laboratory, such as
(Dennst.) Alston,
(Wall.) Thwaites,
L., and
Hieron. Biochemical quantification, fluorescence analysis, and primary phytochemical analysis are already reported for the ethanolic extract and its fractions of areal parts of
. Phytochemical characterization of ethanolic extract of
from Kerala, India was shown to have the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, fixed oils and fats, tannins, and glycosides.