Larvicidal Activity of Two Rutaceae Plant Essential Oils and Their Constituents Against Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Multiple Formulations

Abstract

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is a vector of several arboviruses, such as dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, and Zika viruses. At present, the use of synthetic insecticides is the main vector control strategy. However, the widespread and long-term use of insecticides has aroused several problems, including insecticide resistance, environmental pollution, and non-target species effects, thereby encouraging researchers to search for new alternatives derived from natural products. In recent decades, essential oils (EOs) as natural alternatives to control mosquitoes have received increasing attention. In the initial larvicidal activity screen, two Rutaceae plants (Citrus aurantium and Citrus paradisi) EOs were selected and evaluated for killing Ae. albopictus larvae. The LC50 values of C. aurantium and C. paradisi EOs against Ae. albopictus were 91.7 and 100.9 ppm, respectively. The main components of C. aurantium EO include diethyl o-phthalate (37.32%), limonene (10.04%), and methyl dihydrojasmonate (6.48%). The main components of C. paradisi EO include limonene (60.51%), diethyl o-phthalate (11.75%), linalool (7.90%), and styralyl acetate (6.28%). Among these main components of the two EOs, limonene showed potent larvicidal activity, with the LC50 value of 39.7 ppm. The nanoemulsions of limonene were prepared and characterized. The duration of larvicidal activity was greater in the limonene nanoemulsions than when limonene was applied in solvent. This study demonstrates that EOs of plants in family Rutaceae are a potential resource to develop new larvicides, and nanoemulsification is an effective method for improving the physicochemical properties and efficacy of natural products as larvicides.

Chemical Variability, Antioxidant and Larvicidal Efficacy of EOs from Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck Peel, Leaf, and Flower

“…The results of larvicidal activity in terms of LC 50 and LC 90 along with mortality percentage at different concentrations are displayed in Table 6. The significant larvicidal activity of limonene was also supported by a previous study, in which limonene showed significant larvicidal activity against the larvae of Aedes albopictus with an LC 50 of 39.7 µg/mL [56]. Additionally, (R)-(+)-limonene also showed remarkable larvicidal activity against larvae of A. albopictus and Culex pipiens with LC 50 values of 9.7 ± 1.1 and 4.9 ± 0.5 mg/L, respectively [57].…”

Chemical compositions, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and mosquito larvicidal activity of Ocimum americanum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. leaf essential oils

“…These compounds showed a potential larvicidal activity against Anopheles stephensi [ 76 ]. Compared with O. americanum and O. basilicum oils, some major chemical components, such as camphor, estragole, levomenol, and veridiflorol, differ from those in other works [ 75 – 77 ]. In this study, several factors were responsible for the good larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti.…”

“…Early researchers identified the efficiency of EOs against mosquito larvae and adults [ 74 ]. Moreover, previous studies noted the larvicidal activity of EOs isolated from different plants, such as the Rutaceae plants [ 75 ] Eucalyptus globulus [ 76 ] and Syzygium [ 77 ]. Other works reported that the EOs extracted from different plants show characteristic chemical composition and affect various biological properties [ 77 – 81 ].…”

“…Other works reported that the EOs extracted from different plants show characteristic chemical composition and affect various biological properties [ 77 – 81 ]. For example, the four main constituents of Rutaceae ( Citrus aurantiumare ) oil, namely, diethyl o-phthalate, limonene, methyl dihydrojasmonatem, and limonene, exhibit the highest larvicidal activity against Aedes albopictus [ 75 ]. The five major components identified in Eucalyptus globulus oil are 1,8-cineole (or eucalyptol), α-pinene, trans -pinocarveol, aromadendrene, and globulol.…”

Preliminary Study on Insecticidal Potential and Chemical Composition of Five Rutaceae Essential Oils against Thrips flavus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

“…The search for compounds with insecticidal activity facilitates the development of innovative pesticides and the utilization of postharvest agricultural by-products that would otherwise be wasted in most cases [ 34 , 35 ]. These bioactive components have been reported as having insecticidal potential against a wide range of insect pests, such as Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) [ 36 ], Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae) [ 37 ], Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) [ 38 ], Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) [ 39 ], Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) [ 40 ], Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) [ 41 ], Callosobruchus maculatus L., Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) [ 42 , 43 ], etc. However, the insecticidal effect of Rutaceae essential oil on T. flavus is still unknown.…”