Atividade acaricida do extrato metanólico de Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K. Jansen (Asteraceae) e espilantol sobre Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) e Dermacentor nitens (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract

We evaluate the acaricidal activity of Acmella oleracea methanol extract and spilanthol on Rhipicephalus microplus and Dermacentor nitens. The methanol extract was made through maceration with methanol. From this extract, a dichloromethane fraction with approximately 100% spilanthol was obtained and tested on R. microplus larvae and engorged females and D. nitens larvae. For evaluation against larvae, modified larvae test packages were used, and both methanol extract and the dichloromethane fraction were tested at concentrations of 0.2 to 50.0 mg/mL. The larvae package technique was also used in the lethal time (LT) test, with methanol extract at a concentration of 12.5 mg/mL and the mortality percentage assessment was made after 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 120 minutes and 24 hours. The lethal time calculation 50% (LT50) was performed in this test. The engorged female test was done with R. microplus only, at concentrations of 25 to 200 mg/mL for methanol extract and 2.5 to 20.0 mg/mL for spilanthol. The methanol extract caused 100% mortality of the R. microplus and D. nitens larvae at concentrations from 3.1 and 12.5 mg/mL, respectively. Spilanthol resulted in 100% mortality for R. microplus larvae at concentration from 1.6 mg/mL and 12.5 for D. nitens. In the lethal time essay using the methanol extract, the mortality rate was 100% for R. microplus and D. nitens larvae after 120 minutes and 24 hours with LT50 of 38 and 57 minutes. In the test of females, the egg mass weight and the hatching percentage of the groups treated with concentrations equal to and/or higher than 100.0 mg/mL of methanol extract showed significant differences (p> 0.05) while spilanthol causes significant reduction of the egg mass weight and hatching percentage at concentrations of 10.0 mg/mL and 2.5 mg/mL, respectively. Females treated with 200.0 mg/mL of extract died before starting the oviposition process, resulting in 100% effectiveness, while the best efficacy for spilanthol was 92.9% at concentration of 20.0 mg/mL. Thus we conclude that the methanol extract of A. oleracea and spilanthol present acaricide activity against R. microplus and D. nitens.