Phytochemical screening and in-vitro efficacy of Calpurnia aurea against two transovarial vectors: Amblyomma variegatum and Rhipicephalus microplus

Abstract Background: Ticks are the second most common vector of human infectious diseases after mosquitoes. Their transovarial transmission contributes to the maintenance of environmental diseases. This study evaluates the phytochemical screening and in vitro efficacy of Calpurnia aurea against the adult survival and egg hatchability of two transovarial transmission vectors: Amblyomma variegatum and Rhipicephalus microplus. Methods: Plant material was extracted using maceration techniques, and concentrated solutions of 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 ppm were prepared. Distilled water and diazinon were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Ten adult ticks were exposed for 10 minutes, and dead ticks were counted after 24 hours of recovery. Twenty 15-day-old eggs were immersed for 10 minutes, and after 15 days of incubation, hatched and unhatched eggs were tallied. Preliminary phytochemical constituents were screened. A one-way analysis of variance and the probit regression model determined mean mortality and hatchability and estimated lethal and inhibitory concentrations, respectively. Results: The ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts caused 10±0.0% mortality in adult A. variegatum and R. microplus. The effective dose was LC50 of 27 and 29 ppm and LC50 of 37 and 41 ppm, respectively. At 400 ppm, the leaf ethanolic and aqueous extracts showed 18.7±0.9% and 18.3±1.7%; 18.3±1.2% and 19.7±0.3% egg hatching inhibition, respectively. The effective dose had an IC50 of 50 ppm and IC50s of 91 and 79 ppm, respectively. Flavonoids and saponins were found in both leaf and pod extracts. Conclusions: C. aurea extracts showed a more promising effect on tick survival and hatchability than synthetic diazinon. The susceptibility test indicated that the leaf extract could control vectors and contribute to environmental disease maintenance. Complex phytochemicals, especially phenolic compounds, are additional evidence of effectiveness in vector control. Further investigation of in vivo efficacy and advanced fractionation of phytochemicals is needed.