PAKISTAN VETERINARY JOURNAL

Pak Vet J, 2026, 46(5) 1197-1208

Tick Control Potential of Thymus vulgaris essential oil: Repellency, Acaricidal Activity, and Enzyme-Modulating Effects Against Haemaphysalis doenitzi (Acari: Ixodidae)

Songbo Zhang^1,†, Zhihua Gao^1,†, Manyu Yao^1,†, Feidi Guo¹, Ruya Cao¹, Weijia Xing¹, Ahmed H. Ghonaim^2,3, Tianhong Wang⁴ and Xiaolong Yang^1,*

¹Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China. ²National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China. ³Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt. ⁴Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Pharmacy, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. † Authors contributed equally to this paper.

*Corresponding author: yangxl@hebtu.edu.cn

Abstract

The increasing resistance of ticks to chemical acaricides has shifted attention toward plant-derived alternatives as effective control agents. This study evaluated the repellent, acaricidal, and enzyme-modulating properties of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (EO) and its main components against Haemaphysalis doenitzi. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis identified p-cymene (41.25%) and thymol (39.91%) as the predominant EO components. Thymol exhibited stronger repellent activity than T. vulgaris EO, with a 90% repellency percentage (EC₉₀) of 19.1ng/ml, and its prolonged use showed comparable efficacy to N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET). Immersion bioassays demonstrated that thymol exhibited greater toxicity than p-cymene against both nymphs and adults, with LC₅₀ values of 15.2mg/ml and 31.2mg/ml, respectively. Enzyme assays showed that T. vulgaris EO, thymol, and p-cymene significantly inhibited Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and GST activities. T. vulgaris EO achieved 51.8% and 27.2% inhibition against Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and GST, respectively, thereby disrupting tick energy metabolism and detoxification defenses. Gene expression analysis showed that thymol significantly upregulated HD-ABCE1 and HD-GSTa, while T. vulgaris EO promoted HD-GSTa and HD-CYP450a expression, indicating differential modulation of detoxification pathways. Molecular docking results further confirmed thymol’s strong binding affinities to GST (–4.11kcal/mol), CYP450 (–3.10kcal/mol), and ATP-binding cassette transporter proteins (–3.51kcal/mol), mediated by hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds with Ile residues. These findings demonstrate that T. vulgaris EO (61.3% overall control) and thymol alone (67.1%) offer potent natural alternatives or supplements to synthetic acaricides for sustainable tick management.

To Cite This Article: Zhang S, Gao Z, Yao M, Guo F, Cao R, Xing W, Ghonaim AH, Wang T and Yang X, 2026. Tick control potential of Thymus vulgaris essential oil: repellency, acaricidal activity, and enzyme-modulating effects against Haemaphysalis doenitzi (Acari: Ixodidae). Pak Vet J, 46(5): 1197-1208. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2026.107

Abstract

ISSN 0253-8318 (Print)ISSN 2074-7764 (Online)

ISSN 0253-8318 (Print)
ISSN 2074-7764 (Online)