Artemisia absinthium-borne compounds as novel larvicides: effectiveness against six mosquito vectors and acute toxicity on non-target aquatic organisms

Abstract

The eco-friendly control of mosquito vectors is a crucial challenge of public health importance. Here we evaluated the larvicidal potential of Artemisia absinthium essential oil (EO) and its three major chemical constituents against six mosquito vectors: Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles subpictus, Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. The EO was obtained by leaf hydrodistillation. Its chemical composition was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Major components were (E)-β-farnesene (31.6 %), (Z)-en-yn-dicycloether (11.12 %), and (Z)-β-ocimene (27.8 %). The EO was toxic effect against larval populations of An. stephensi, An. subpictus, Ae. aegypti, A e . a l b o p i c t u s, C x . q u i n q u e f a s c i a t u s , and C x . tritaeniorhynchus, with LC 50 values of 41. 85, 52.02, 46.33, 57.57, 50.57, and 62.16 μg/ml. (E)-β-farnesene, (Z)-en-yndicycloether, and (Z)-β-ocimene were highly effective on An. stephensi (LC 50 = 8.13, 16.24 and 25.84 μg/ml) followed by An. subpictus (LC 50 = 10.18, 20.99, and 30.86 μg/ml), Ae. aegypti (LC 50 = 8.83,17.66, and 28.35 μg/ml), Ae. albopictus (LC 50 = 11.38,23.47, and 33.72 μg/ml), Cx. quinquefasciatus (LC 5 0 = 9.66, 19.76, and 31.52 μ g/ml), and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (LC 50 = 12.51,25.88, and 37.13 μg/ml). Notably, the EO and its major compounds were safer to the non-target organisms Chironomous circumdatus, Anisops bouvieri and Gambusia affinis, with LC 50 values ranging from 207.22 to 4385 μg/ml. Overall, our results highlight that (E)-β-farnesene, (Z)-en-yn-dicycloether, and (Z)-β-ocimene from the A. absinthium EO represent promising eco-friendly larvicides against six key mosquito vectors with moderate toxicity against non-target organisms.

Toxicity of Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A. C. Sm. Essential Oil to the Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

“…In addition, of the selected components, only β-caryophyllene showed strong contact toxicity when applied topically, while none of the other compounds possessed topical, residual, or fumigant toxicity against bed bugs. In the past, researchers have reported [18] that β-caryophyllene, β-pinene [25,26], caryophyllene oxide, and α-humulene have contact, fumigant, and residual toxicity against various pests of stored grains, crops, and vector-borne diseases. However, only β-caryophyllene induced toxicity in adult bed bugs.…”

Ethnopharmacological Documentation of Medicinal Plants Used in the Traditional Treatment of Hypertension in Tarfaya Province, Morocco

“…Analysis of the data obtained showed that the age of the respondents varied between 22 and 80 years, with a majority of the age group [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] at 34%. Then come the age groups [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60], [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40], [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and finally those over 61, with a rate of 26%, 18.7%, 11.3% and 10% respectively. On the one hand, this could be explained by the ignorance of the traditional medicinal uses of plants by the younger generation.…”

Anatomical Investigation and GC/MS Analysis of ‘Coco de Mer’,Lodoicea maldivica(Arecaceae)

“…Aromadendrene was documented to be active against Gram(+) and Gram(−) bacteria and yeast [30] . In addition, this compound was known to possess insecticidal properties, [31] as well as bicyclogermacrene [32] and ledene, [33] acting in particular as larvicidal. Bornyl acetate, detected even in the essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis [34] and Juniperus horizontalis , [35] was recognized as acaricidal [36] .…”