Promising Insecticidal Properties of Essential Oils from Artemisia aragonensis Lam. and Artemisia negrei L. (Asteraceae) by Targeting Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid and Ryanodine Receptor Proteins: In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

Abstract

Artemisia negrei (A. negrei) and Artemisia aragonensis (A. aragonensis) are in the family Asteraceae, which has been used in traditional medicine. The use of plant-derived insecticides has become a promising strategy to reduce the harmful effects of synthetic insecticides and overcome the bio-resistance of pest insects to insecticides. In this regard, the purpose of the current study was to determine the chemical composition and evaluate insecticidal effects of essential oils (EOs) extracted from A. negrei (EON) and A. aragonensis (EOA). Notably, all chemical constituents present in the EOs were identified through GC-MS analysis, whilst the insecticidal properties against Callosobruchus maculatus Fab. (C. maculatus) were investigated by use of in vitro an in silico approaches. The obtained results showed that both tested EOs present a significant insecticidal effect against C. maculatus, which increased significantly upon the dose used in both contact and inhalation tests. The lethal concentrations (LC50) for the inhalation test were found to be 2.1 and 2.97 μL/L, while in the contact test they were 2.08 and 2.74 μL/L of air for EON and EOA, respectively. At 5 μL/L of air, the spawn reduction rate was 88.53 % and 77.41%, while the emergence reduction rate was 94.86% and 81.22% by EON and EOA, respectively. With increasing doses of up to 20 μL/L of air, the reduction in individual emergence reached 100% by the two oils tested after 36 h of treatment. In addition, Molecular docking (MD) simulations supported the in vitro findings and indicated that certain identified components in EOA and EON exhibited stronger hydrogen bonding interactions with the target receptors. Interestingly, the prediction of ADMET properties indicates that the molecules investigated have great pharmacokinetic profiles with no side effects. Taken together, our findings suggest that EOA and EON may exert both potential contact and inhalation insecticidal actions and could be used as an alternative tool for the control of this major insect pest of stored products.

Five Different Artemisia L. Species Ethanol Extracts’ Phytochemical Composition and Their Antimicrobial and Nematocide Activity

“…The available research data indicate that the biologically active potential of the various Artemisia species is far from being fully studied, and their conventional applications do not utilize their properties fully. Therefore, the current investigations [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] of the chemical compositions and biological activity of the various Artemisia L. species hold particular significance and are experiencing a real surge as they are presently in the focus of bioorganic and bioanalytical chemistry. The chromatography–mass spectrometry technique is widely acknowledged as the most-appropriate and -informative approach for the analysis of extracts or essential oils, specifically their chemical compositions, due to its ability to combine high separation power with reliable mass spectrometry detection [ 56 ].…”