Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Natural Populations of Artemisia scoparia Collected at Different Altitudes: Antibacterial, Mosquito Repellent, and Larvicidal Effects

Abstract

The current study aimed to evaluate the presence of chemical variations in essential oils (EOs) extracted from Artemisia scoparia growing at different altitudes and to reveal their antibacterial, mosquito larvicidal, and repellent activity. The gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric analysis of A. scoparia EOs revealed that the major compounds were capillene (9.6–31.8%), methyleugenol (0.2–26.6%), β-myrcene (1.9–21.4%), γ-terpinene (1.5–19.4%), trans-β-caryophyllene (0.8–12.4%), and eugenol (0.1–9.1%). The EO of A. scoparia collected from the city of Attock at low elevation was the most active against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria (minimum inhibitory concentration of 156–1250 µg/mL) and showed the best mosquito larvicidal activity (LC50, 55.3 mg/L). The EOs of A. scoparia collected from the high-altitude areas of Abbottabad and Swat were the most repellent for females of Ae. aegypti and exhibited repellency for 120 min and 165 min, respectively. The results of the study reveal that different climatic conditions and altitudes have significant effects on the chemical compositions and the biological activity of essential oils extracted from the same species.

Chemical Composition, Repellent, and Oviposition Deterrent Potential of Wild Plant Essential Oils against Three Mosquito Species

“…This composition was quite different from the chemical composition of the EO reported in the current study. The difference in the efficacy of S. terebinthifolia EOs reported in the current study and previously could be explained based on their different chemistry, probably due to the EOs being extracted from different parts of the plant, as well as the plants being grown under different conditions [ 29 ]. In addition, mosquito species respond differently to the same substance, which might explain the difference in bioactivity of S. terebinthifolia against the mosquito species tested in the current and previous studies.…”

“…Most of these main constituents were present in the EOs used in our study and in Belhoussaine et al’s study [ 52 ], but in different relative proportions, except for α-pinene, which was not reported in the Moroccan study. The differences in the chemical composition of the EOs in the present and previous studies might be due to changes in the growing conditions and other biotic and a biotic factors [ 29 ].…”