Ligusticum sinense Nanoemulsion Gel as Potential Repellent against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles minimus, and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Ligusticum sinense Oliv. cv. is a species of Umbelliferae (Apiaceae), a large plant family in the order Apiales. In this study, L. sinense hexane extract nanoemulsion gel (LHE-NEG) was investigated for mosquito repellency and compared to the standard chemical, N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), with the goal of developing a natural alternative to synthetic repellents in protecting against mosquito vectors. The results demonstrated that LHE-NEG afforded remarkable repellency against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles minimus, and Culex quinquefasciatus, with median protection times (MPTs) of 5.5 (4.5–6.0), 11.5 (8.5–12.5), and 11.25 (8.5–12.5) h, respectively, which was comparable to those of DEET-nanoemulsion gel (DEET-NEG: 8.5 (7.0–9.0), 12.0 (10.0–12.5), and 12.5 (10.0–13.5) h, respectively). Evaluation of skin irritation in 30 human volunteers revealed no potential irritant from LHE-NEG. The physical and biological stability of LHE-NEG were determined after being kept under heating/cooling cycle conditions. The stored samples of LHE-NEG exhibited some changes in appearance and differing degrees of repellency between those kept for 3 and 6 heating/cooling cycles, thus providing slightly shorter MPTs of 4.25 (4.0–4.5) and 3.25 (2.5–3.5) h, respectively, when compared to those of 5.0 (4.5–6.0) h in fresh preparation. These findings encourage commercially developed LHE-based products as an alternative to conventional synthetic repellents in preventing mosquito bites and helping to interrupt mosquito-borne disease transmission.

Mosquitocidal Activity of the Methanolic Extract of Annickia chlorantha and Its Isolated Compounds against Culex pipiens, and Their Impact on the Non-Target Organism Zebrafish, Danio rerio

“…stephensi with different extracts from Citrullus vulgaris . Recently, Junkum et al [ 46 ] found that the hexane extract of Ligusticum sinense afforded remarkable repellency against Aedes aegypti , An. minimus , and C. quinquefasciatus , with median protection times of 5.5, 11.5, and 11.25 h, respectively.…”

Essential Oil-Based Nano-Biopesticides: Formulation and Bioactivity against the Confused Flour Beetle Tribolium confusum

“…The repellent activity of EO-based nano-emulsions and gels has been largely investigated for insect vector management [48][49][50], though they may also be exploited for stored product pest control [51]. The area-preference trials highlighted good repellent activity toward T. confusum of the majority of the developed gels.…”

Effectiveness of Herbal Essential Oils as Single and Combined Repellents against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles dirus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

“…Undiluted essential oils were evaluated for repellency against female A. aegypti, A. dirus and C. quinquefasciatus using the arm-in-cage technique modified from the standard World Health Organization method [ 16 ] and Junkum et al [ 18 ]. Each essential oil was tested on adult healthy volunteers at random.…”

“…After 30 min post application, the tested arm was exposed for 3 min, then withdrawn for 30 min, and then exposed again. The experiment was stopped when the second mosquitoes landed on the test area and recorded as the complete-protection time for that subject [ 18 ]. The protection time was measured between the application of essential oil and the second landed.…”