Biosynthesis, characterization, and acaricidal activity of silver nanoparticles from Ficus carica leaf extract against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks, a Vector of Bacterial Pathogens”

Abstract

Rhipicephalus microplus is a significant ectoparasite of cattle and the emergence of resistance to acaricides has created a need for developing sustainable approaches to its control. The purpose of this study was to prepare green silver nanoparticles with the aqueous extract of the leaves of Ficus carica and assess the acaricidal activity of these nanoparticles against Rhipicephalus microplus. The nanoparticle formation at 429 nm, crystalline structure, spherical morphology and elemental composition of silver were confirmed using the methods of ultravio-let spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and ener-gy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The acaricidal activity was tested at 5–60 mg/mL in both larval packet and adult immersion bioassays. The nanoparticles and cypermethrin reduced larval mortality by 100% and 94% respectively, after 48 h, and oviposition inhibition was 84.79% and 87.53% respectively when used at 60 mg/mL. The study of molecular docking of the compounds resulted in 2 H-1-Benzopyran-2-one being the most active compound with a binding affinity of − 8.2 kcal/mol with the membrane associated progesterone receptor component protein of Rhipicephalus microplus. The results revealed that the green synthesized Ficus carica silver nanoparticles exhibit significant acaricidal activity and are good candidates for environmentally friendly tick control. Clinical trial: Not applicable.