Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of essential oil from Mentha spicata (Linn.) against three mosquito species

Abstract

Mosquitoes are blood-feeding insects and serve as the most important vectors for spreading human diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and filariasis. The continued use of synthetic insecticides has resulted in resistance in mosquitoes. Synthetic insecticides are toxic and affect the environment by contaminating soil, water, and air, and then natural products may be an alternative to synthetic insecticides because they are effective, biodegradable, eco-friendly, and safe to environment. Botanical origin may serve as suitable alternative biocontrol techniques in the future. Mentha spicata, an edible and medicinal plant, is chiefly distributed in Southeast Asia and South Asia. In the present study, the toxicity of mosquito larvicidal activity of leaf essential oil (EO) and their major chemical constituents from Mentha spicata against Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, and Anopheles stephensi. The chemical composition of the leaf EO was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). GC-MS revealed that the EO of M. spicata contained 18 compounds. The major chemical components identified were carvone (48.60%), cis-carveol (21.30%), and limonene (11.30%). The EO had a significant toxic effect against early third-stage larvae of C. quinquefasciatus, A. aegypti, and A. stephensi with LC(50) values of 62.62, 56.08, and 49.71 ppm and LC(90) values of 118.70, 110.28, and 100.99 ppm, respectively. The three major pure constituents extracted from the M. spicata leaf EO were also tested individually against three mosquito larvae. The LC(50) values of carvone, cis-carveol, and limonene appeared to be most effective against A. stephensi (LC(50) 19.33, 28.50, and 8.83 ppm) followed by A. aegypti (LC(50) 23.69, 32.88, and 12.01 ppm), and C. quinquefasciatus (LC(50) 25.47, 35.20, and 14.07 ppm). The results could be useful in search for newer, safer, and more effective natural larvicidal agents against C. quinquefasciatus, A. aegypti, and A. stephensi.

Molluscicidal and Mosquitocidal Activities of the Essential oils of Thymus capitatus Hoff. et Link. and Marrubium vulgare L.

“…Different sensitivities of mosquito species towards different volatile oils has been also recorded 3 . Thymol, one of the major components of Lippia sidoides, was identified as an active component of the larvicidal action against Aedes aegypti causing 100% larval mortality 16 .…”

Acute toxicity and repellent activity of the Origanum scabrum Boiss. & Heldr. (Lamiaceae) essential oil against four mosquito vectors of public health importance and its biosafety on non-target aquatic organisms

“…Good examples are the larvicidal EOs obtained from Clausena anisata (Govindarajan 2010b), Coleus aromaticus (Govindarajan et al 2013b), Dalbergia sisoo (Ansari et al 2000a), Hyptis martiusii (Araujo et al 2003), Hyptis suaveolens (Sakthivadivel et al 2015), Lavandula gibsoni (Kulkarni et al 2013), Lippia sidoides (Lima et al 2013), Moschosma polystachyum (Rajkumar and Jebanesan 2004), Mentha spicata (Govindarajan et al 2012), Mentha piperita (Ansari et al 2000b), Mentha longifolia (Pavela et al 2014), Ocimum basilicum (Govindarajan et al 2013a), Ocimum selloi (Padilha de Paula et al 2003), Ocimum americanum (Tawatsin et al 2001), Ocimum gratissimum (Cavalcanti et al 2004), Ocimum sanctum (Gbolade and Lockwood 2008), Plectranthus barbatus ), Plectranthus ambonicus (Lima et al 2011), Plectranthus mollis (Kulkarni et al 2013), Pogostemon cablin (Trongtokit et al 2005), Pulegium vulgare (Pavela et al 2014), Rosmarinus officinalis (Prajapati et al 2005), Satureja hortensis (Pavela 2009), Tagetus minuta (Perich et al 1995), Thymus vulgaris (El-Akhal et al 2016), Thymus leucospermus, Thymus teucrioides (Pitarokili et al 2011), Vitex agnus castus (Cetin et al 2011), and others (Cheng et al 2003;Traboulsi et al 2005;Pavela et al 2014).…”

Insecticidal effect of volatile compounds from plant materials of Murraya exotica against Red Imported Fire Ant Workers

“…The essential oils of M. exotica possessed fumigant toxicity against Sitophilius zeamais, and Tribolium castaneum adults with LC 50 values of 8.29 and 6.84 mg/L, respectively. According Govindarajan et al (2012), the essential oils from Mentha spicata (Linn.) exhibited larvicidal activity against three mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and Culex quinquefasciatus.…”