Chemical Composition and Mosquitocidal Activity of n-Hexane and Methanolic Extracts from Euphorbia anacampseros var. tmolea: An Endemic Species of Turkey against Aedes aegypti

Abstract

Volatile composition of the n-hexane and methanol extracts from E. anacampseros var. tmolea was analyzed by head space-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Chemical characterization of the methanolic extract was determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS. Both extracts were bioassayed against 1 st instar larvae and adult female Ae. aegypti. The main components identified from the E. anacampseros var. tmolea n-hexane fraction were 1,8-cineole (27.5 %), p-cymene (25 %), γ-terpinene (12.8 %), limonene (9.9 %). Methyl hexanoate (18.8 %), methyl nonanoate (13.3 %), dimethyl succinate (6.5 %), methyl octanoate (6 %) and methyl phenylacetate (5.3 %) were identified from the methanolic fraction. The n-hexane extract showed 100 % mortality at 0.1 µg/ µL against 1 st instar larvae of Ae. aegypti and the methanolic extract exhibited 83.3 % mortality at 5 µg/mosquito against adult female Ae. aegypti. The bioassay-guided study demonstrates that n-hexane and methanol extracts of E. anacampseros var. tmolea contain compounds with natural mosquito larvicidal and adulticidal activity.