Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of essential oils from six Apiaceae family taxa against the West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens

Abstract

The chemical compositions of essential oils (EOs) obtained from six different taxa of the Apiaceae family, Apioideae subfamily, belonging to three tribes and six different genuses were determined by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. All examined plants grow naturally in different habitats throughout Greece. The insecticidal properties of these EOs were evaluated against Culex pipiens L. larvae of third and early fourth instars in order to delineate the relationship between the EOs phytochemical content and larvicidal activity. The analytical data indicated that the EOs are mainly consisted of monoterpenes, mostly cyclic and only occasionally aliphatic. The larvicidal bioassay results indicated that the oil of Oenanthe pimpinelloides L., which contains mainly nonoxygenated monoterpenes, possesses the highest activity against Cx. pipiens larvae, displaying a LC(50) value of 40.26 mg/L. On the contrary, the EO of Elaeoselinum asclepium (L.) Bertol, which is consisted of pinenes and oxygenated monoterpenes, was the less active (LC(50) value of 96.96 mg/L). These results reveal that the nonoxygenated monoterpenes possess potent insecticidal activities against Cx. pipiens L. and the EO of O. pimpinelloides L. represents an inexpensive source of natural pest control mixture.

Mediterranean essential oils as effective weapons against the West Nile vector Culex pipiens and the Echinostoma intermediate host Physella acuta: what happens around? An acute toxicity survey on non-target mayflies

“…and Link., and Marrubium vulgare L. (LC 50 = 100 and 200 ppm, respectively) (Salama et al 2012), as well as by essential oils from Greek species belonging to the Satureja genus (Lamiaceae) (LC 50 ranging from 37.7 to 64.4 ppm) (Michaelakis et al 2008) and Mentha, Melissa and Salvia (LC 50 ranging from 47.88 to 140.42 ppm) (Koliopoulos et al 2010 (Kimbaris et al 2012). Also, essential oils from Greek Citrus species, including sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.), lemon (Citrus limon L.) and bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.), are effective toxics against Culex pipiens larvae (LC 50 were 51.50, 30.14 and 39.81 ppm, respectively) (Michaelakis et al 2009b), and similar results have been achieved also testing Apiaceae from the same geographical region (LC 50 ranging from 40.26 to 96.96 ppm) (Evergetis et al 2009). …”

Pupicidal and repellent activities of Pogostemon cablin essential oil chemical compounds against medically important human vector mosquitoes

“…The phytochemicals derived from plant sources possess a complex of chemicals with unique biological activity. The phytochemicals derived from plant resources can act as larvicides, insect growth regulators, repellents, and ovipositional attractants, having deterrent activities observed by different researchers [7,8,9,10,11,12] . The use of scientifically proven non-chemical methods and limited use of drug is being considered as safety to environment and human health [13,14] .…”

Evaluation of time toxicity, residual effect, and growth-inhibiting property of Carapa guianensis and Copaifera sp. in Aedes aegypti

“…In this context, essential oils obtained from plants have been considered potential sources of biologically active substances (Amer and Mehlhorn 2006a;Yadav et al 2008;Shanmugasundaram et al 2008;Silva et al 2008;Cheng et al 2009;Evergetis et al 2009;Elango et al 2010;Kamaraj et al 2010). Among these plants, Carapa guianensis Aublet.…”