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

Abstract

Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A.C. Smith is an evergreen, woody climbing plant that is widely distributed throughout southwest mainland China. Extracts of this plant are used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of various diseases, like cancer and dermatosis, and as an anodyne to relieve pain, while the leaves are used to treat eczema. In the current study, the toxicity of essential oil from its stem (EOKC) was studied against two strains of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius). Essential oil from the plant was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. The major compound identified was β-caryophyllene (24.73%), followed by caryophyllene oxide (5.91%), α-humulene (3.48%), and β-pinene (2.54%). Preliminary screening was performed by topically delivering a 1 µL droplet of the treatments dissolved in acetone. At 24 h after treatment, the EOKC induced mortality rates of 61.9% and 66.7% in the Bayonne and Ft. Dix strains, respectively, at 100 µg/bug. Four major compounds—β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, α-humulene, and β-pinene—were selected based on their availability and were subjected to topical, residual, and fumigation methods. When applied topically, only β-caryophyllene induced high toxicity in both strains. None of the selected compounds induced significant toxicity in the residual and fumigation methods.

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils from the Leaves, Stems, and Roots of Kadsura coccinea

“…The components in this study was obviously different from the essential oil reported by Dai et al [ 21 ], who found that the major compounds were β-caryophylene, δ-cadinene, caryophyllene oxide, and α-copaene. The components were also different from those reported by Rehman et al [ 22 ], who determined that the major compounds were β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, α-humulene, and β-pinene. However, the essential oils reported by Yang et al [ 23 ] showed several same major compounds as our research, such as pinene, δ-cadinene, and β-elemene.…”

“…The chemical composition of the essential oil from the stem barks of K. coccinea collected in Vietnam was reported, with β-caryophyllene (23.6%), δ-cadinene (8.6%), caryophyllene oxide (7.8%), epi-α-bisabolol (7.5%), and α-copaene (6.6%) as the major compounds [ 21 ]. The essential oil of K. coccinea collected in Hunan province (China) was found to be toxic to the Bed Bug and its major compounds were β-caryophyllene (24.73%), caryophyllene oxide (5.91%), α-humulene (3.48%), and β-pinene (2.54%) [ 22 ]. Previous studies also reported the volatile components in different parts of K. coccinea [ 23 , 24 ] and evaluated the antioxidant activity of essential oils using DPPH radical scavenging assay [ 23 ].…”

The application of essential oils as a next-generation of pesticides: recent developments and future perspectives

“…Their results showed good larvicidal activity of EOs, as well as repellent activity at a concentration of 0.5%. The larvicidal activity of several EOs was also evaluated by Huang et al [62] and Scalvenzi et al [63] against the mosquito species C. quinquefasciatus, A. albopictus, and A. aegypti, whereas other studies identified the insecticidal potential of EOs against Rhodnius prolixus nymphs (vector of Chagas disease) and Cimex lectularius (bed bug) [64,65]. Regarding the agricultural pests, several studies evaluated the insecticidal role of EOs against Aphis pomi DeGeer [66], Ips typographus [67], S. oryzae [68], L. bostrychophila, and T. castaneum [69], respectively, and T. castaneum and L. serricorne [70].…”

Behavioral Responses of the Common Bed Bug to Essential Oil Constituents

“…Plant essential oils that contain high concentrations of effective constituents identified in this study are java citronella oil (geraniol, citronellic acid), clove oil (eugenol), and red thyme (carvacrol, thymol, linalool) [ 24 ], and cinnamon oil (trans-Cinnamaldehyde) [ 43 ]. While several studies have shown repellent activity of essential oils against other urban pests [ 22 , 24 , 25 ], there is only a few of repellency reports in bed bugs [ 17 , 27 , 28 , 38 ]. Essential oils of oregano Origanum vulgare, containing carvacrol and thymol, repelled bed bugs up to 24 h [ 38 ].…”

“…Thymol was reported as having repellent activity against Blatella lateralis (Walker) (Blattodea: Blattidae) [ 24 ]. In bed bugs, several studies have evaluated the contact toxicity [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ], fumigant toxicity [ 29 , 32 , 33 ], and residual toxicity [ 34 , 35 ] of plant-derived pesticides, but few have studied in detailed their repellency. Anderson et al [ 36 ] demonstrated the efficacy of three naturally occurring repellents, para-menthane-3,8-diol, delta dodecalactone, and gamma dodecalactone to prevent bed bugs from hiding in substrate-treated areas.…”