Chemical profile and larvicidal activity of essential oil obtained from the leaves of Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng

Ari Pereira de Araújo Neto,Ana Patrícia Matos Pereira,Thércia Gabrielle Teixeira Martins,Ricardo Teixeira de Sousa,Liane Batista da Cruz Soares,Mariana Oliveira Arruda,Gustavo Oliveira Everton,Andressa Almeida Santana Dias,Laiane Araujo da Silva Souto,Carlos Eduardo Pereira Conceição,Francilidia Oliveira Vitorino de Assunção Conceição,Ana Maria Almeida Silva Carvalho

doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i4.13846

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the chemical constituents and larvicidal activity of the essential oil of Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng against larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The essential oil (EO) was extracted by hydrodistillation at 100 ° C for 3 hours. The chemical composition was obtained by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC / MS). To assess larvicidal activity, Aedes aegypti larvae were subjected to EO solutions in concentrations of 10-100 mg L-1, where larval mortality was assessed and the LC50 was determined using the Probit method. The main chemical constituent found in the EO was carvacrol, which is considered to be very promising for pharmaceutical synthesis. The EO showed larvicidal activity with an LC50 of 28.52 mg L-1. According to the results found, it was possible to evaluate that the analyzed EO is composed of substances that have an efficient larvicidal effect against Aedes aegypti, thus encouraging its potential for application.

Highlights

In the case of essential oil (EO), it is recommended to regularly use the gas chromatography system coupled to the mass spectrum (GC / MS), in order to identify substances derived from secondary metabolism
In view of the importance of EOs and their wide application, the present study aims to determine the chemical constituents and the larvicidal potential of the essential oil of Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng against the larvae of Aedes aegypti, aiming at a safe, ecologically viable and efficient alternative fighting and controlling the population of Aedes aegypti in the country
These results are in agreement with the study by (Monzote et al, 2020), who found a high percentage in the aerial parts of P. amboinicus with a 71% content of carvacrol

Summary

Introduction

Plants are considered one of the main natural resources for medicinal use, due to their biological potential, whether due to the action of deadly diseases or diseases that affect living beings, according to the World Health Organization, almost 80% of the population in developing countries development uses them directly or indirectly for their basic health needs, either because of cultural tradition or because there are no other options, due to the high cost of traditional medicines for this population (Bermúdez,Oliveira-Miranda & Velázquez, 2005; Alitonou et al, 2012; de Souza et al, 2020 ).Multidisciplinary efforts have led to an increase in the number of researches to obtain greater knowledge about a medicinal plant (de Souza et al, 2020). Essential oils represent a viable alternative in several studies involving substances of plant origin (Gomes et al, 2019; Minott & Brown, 2007). Specific analyzes are necessary around the validation process, which includes chemical composition, proof of pharmacological, molluscicidal, microbial activity and possible toxicity in humans parameters that ensure the quality of raw materials of plant origin (Gomes et al, 2019). The toxic potential of essential oils (EOs) and their compounds can vary significantly according to intrinsic and extrinsic factors (Kim et al, 2016). The chemical composition of EOs contributes significantly to the determination of the pharmacological potential attributed to plant species. EO extracted from medicinal plants have been widely used successfully in research aimed at epidemiological control (Mirzahosseini et al, 2017)

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