Repellency and insecticidal activity of seven Mugwort (Artemisia argyi) essential oils against the malaria vector Anopheles sinensis

Abstract

Anopheles sinensis is the main vector of malaria with a wide distribution in China and its adjacent countries. The smoke from burning dried mugwort leaves has been commonly used to repel and kill mosquito adults especially in southern Chinese provinces. In this study, the essential oils of mugwort leaves collected from seven provinces in China were extracted by steam distillation and their chemical compositions were analyzed. Among a total of 56–87 chemical constituents confirmed by GC–MS analyses, four compounds, eucalyptol, β-caryophyllene, phytol and caryophyllene oxide, were identified with appearances from all seven distilled essential oils. The effectiveness varied in larvicidal, fumigant and repellent activities against An. sinensis from these seven essential oils with different geographic origins. The essential oil from Hubei province showed the highest larvicidal activity against the 4th instar larvae of An. sinensis, with a median lethal concentration at 40.23 µg/mL. For fumigation toxicity, essential oils from 4 provinces (Gansu, Shandong, Sichuan and Henan) were observed with less than 10 min in knockdown time. The essential oil distilled from Gansu province displayed the highest repellent activity against Anopheles mosquitoes and provided similar level of protection as observed from DEET. Eucalyptol was the most toxic fumigant compound and phytol showed the strongest larvicidal activity among all tested mugwort essential oil constituents.

Prolonged Repellent Activity of Plant Essential Oils against Dengue Vector, Aedes aegypti

“…Moreover, eucalyptol was also found to be a toxic fumigant compound against An. sinensis [ 33 ]. In another study, the EO of Nepeta parnassica (Lamiales: Lamiaceae), having eucalyptol as the main constituent, displayed a good repellency against Ae.…”

A semi-field system for quantifyingAnopheles gambiaeattraction to human scent

“…Interestingly, the monoterpernoid eucalyptol (1,8-Cineole) was highly abundant in the body odor of the least preferred human subject in the six-person cohort. Eucalyptol is a molecule with known mosquito repellency [77][78][79] and deodorizing action 80 that has been frequently detected in the skin and breath emissions of humans 64 . This compound is likely derived from plant-based foods in diets or exogenous products (European Comission, 2002).…”

Bioinformatics analysis and vivo experiment of Artemisia argyi essential oil for the treatment of pressure ulcer by modulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway

“…Other studies have found that AAEO inhibits cancer metastasis in hepatocytes by inhibiting Wnt/βcatenin signaling pathway(28). These effects shows that AAEO could promote wound healing and inhibit in ammation (29,30). AAEO has the advantage of low side effects and easy clinical application through dermal administration.…”