Activity of essential oils from Brazilian Cerrado against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae

• Published in: South African journal of botany Vol. 172; pp. 619 - 626
• Main Authors: Cruzeiro, Raíssa Rosa Pessoa, Davies, Noel William, Obara, Marcos Takashi, Silveira, Dâmaris, Gomes-Copeland, Kicia Karinne Pereira, de Castro Nizio, Daniela Aparecida, Fagg, Christopher William
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Aedes aegypti; Essential oils; Larvicides; Monoterpenes; Vector control; Monoterpenes; Aedes aegypti; Essential oils; Vector control; Larvicides
• ISSN: 0254-6299
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2024.07.050

•Essential oils from Cerrado plants are active against Aedes aegypti.•Alpinia zerumbet and E. langsdorffii oils show larvicide potential for Ae. aegypti.•Eugenia langsdorffii exhibits new larvicidal properties against mosquitos. The Aedes aegypti mosquito serves as the primary vector for transmitting viral diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and urban yellow fever. Essential oils comprising volatile organic compounds derived from a single plant species have demonstrated repellent activity against various mosquito species, including Ae. aegypti. Despite their potential therapeutic benefits, only limited studies have explored the larvicidal activity of essential oil from plants occurring in Cerrado. To address this gap, the present study evaluated the larvicidal efficacy of different essential oils (EO) sourced from native and cultivated plants in the Cerrado biome against Ae. aegypti larvae. Essential oils were extracted from Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L.Burtt & R.M.Sm., Baccharis retusa DC., Blepharocalyx salicifolius (Kunth) O. Berg, Cymbopogon densiflorus (Steud.) Stapf, Eugenia langsdorffii O. Berg, Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão. Notably, B. retusa is dioecious; hence, it was categorized into male and female plants each with a separated extraction of leaves and flowers. Among the essential oils tested, those derived from A. zerumbet and E. langsdorffii exhibited the highest activity, resulting in 100 % mortality of Ae. aegypti larvae at a 100 mg/L concentration. The calculated LC50 values were 36.6 mg/L and 53.5 mg/L for A. zerumbet and E. langsdorffii, respectively, with the corresponding LC90 values of 66.3 mg/L and 103.9 mg/L. Analysis of the major components revealed the presence of 1,8-cineole, sabinene, terpinen-4-ol, and γ-terpinene in A. zerumbet essential oil, while limonene, δ-cadinol, myrcene, and spathulenol were predominant in E. langsdorffii essential oil. However, further studies are required to identify the active components responsible for the observed larvicidal activity and elucidate their mode of action.