Agri-food production is affected by various factors, such as insect pests. Inadequate use of pesticides has generated resistance, and some pesticides have been shown to affect human health and the environment. Therefore, alternative control methods have been sought, such as the use of biocontrol with fungi; these organisms have shown activity against insect pests. Thus, this review compiles relevant and important studies that have been carried out over the last four decades. In general, fungi are divided into two large groups, macroscopic and microscopic fungi. In these two groups, possible fungal candidates with activity against insects have been found. They were subdivided into two groups: microscopic entomopathogenic fungi and macroscopic entomopathogenic fungi with basidiomata. In the case of microscopic entomopathogenic fungi, only the main species of these fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria bassiana, and Isaria fumosorosea) have been examined. These fungi present degrees of specificity at the family or closely related species level. For these three fungal species alone, more than 500 species of affected insects have been reported in this and other reviews. Finally, more than 200 species of fungi with basidiomata have been studied for their insecticidal activity. Additionally, possible compounds with insecticidal activity, such as ibotenic acid, beauvericin, ergosterol, and ostreolysin, are described. The studies found in the present review of fungi with insecticidal activity are promising. It was concluded that fungi, their compounds, and the proteins they contain may have a biotechnological application in the control of insect pests.

The main goal of this work was to evaluate the in vitro biological activity of two ferrocenyl chalcones (FcC-1 and FcC-2) against Haemonchus contortus (third-stage larvae (L₃)) and Nacobbus aberrans (second-stage juveniles (J₂)). Both compounds were synthesized and characterized by usual spectroscopic methods and their molecular structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. Nematode strains were examined in terms of percentage mortality of H. contortus (L₃) by the action of FcC-1, which showed an effectivity of 100% at a concentration of 342 μM in 24 h, with EC₅₀ = 20.33 μM and EC₉₀ = 162.76 μM, whereas FcC-2 had an effectivity of 72% at a concentration of 342 μM in 24 h, with EC₅₀ = 167.39 μM and EC₉₀ = 316.21 μM. The effect of FcC-1 against nematode phytoparasite N. aberrans showed a better percentage of 95% at a concentration of 342 μM, with EC₅₀ = 7.18 μM and EC₉₀ = 79.25 μM, whereas the effect of FcC-2 was 87% at 342 μM, with EC₅₀ = 168 μM and EC₉₀ = 319.56 μM at 36 h. After treatment, the scanning electron micrographs revealed deformities in the dorsal flank and posterior part close to the tail of H. contortus L₃. They showed moderate in vitro nematicidal activity against H. contortus L₃ and N. aberrans J₂.

This study assessed thein vitroanthelmintic (AH) activity of methanol and acetone:water leaf extracts fromAnnona squamosa,A. muricataandA. reticulataagainstHaemonchus contortuseggs. The egg hatch test was used to determine the effective concentrations required to inhibit 50% of eggs hatching (EC₅₀). The role of polyphenols on AH activity was measured through bioassays with and without polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP). Methanolic extracts mainly caused the death of eggs at the morula stage (ovicidal activity). Meanwhile, acetone:water extracts caused egg-hatching failure of developed larvae (larvae failing eclosion (LFE) activity). The lowest EC₅₀values againstH. contortuseggs were observed for the methanolic extracts fromA. reticulataandA. muricata(274.2 and 382.9 µg/ml, respectively). From the six extracts evaluated, the methanolic extracts ofA. muricata,A. reticulataandA. squamosashowed the highest ovicidal activity, resulting in 98.9%, 92.8% and 95.1% egg mortality, respectively. When the methanolic extract ofA. squamosawas incubated with PVPP, its AH activity increased. Similarly, when acetone:water extracts ofA. muriataandA. reticulatawere incubated with PVPP, their LFE activity increased. Alkaloids were only evident in methanolic extracts, irrespective of PVPP incubation. The presence of acetogenins was not observed. In conclusion, methanolic extracts obtained from leaves ofA. muricata,A. reticulataandA. squamosashowed ovicidal activity affecting the morula ofH. contortuseggs, with minor LFE activity. Meanwhile, acetone:water extracts showed mostly LFE activity, with a lower proportion of ovicidal activity.