Abstract
Purpose: Insecticides have been known to cause serious toxicological and environmental problems. Hence, the insecticidal activity and chemical composition of a local medicinal plant was investigated. Methods: Steam distillation of P.staudtii leaves was carried out using a Clavenger apparatus in order to obtain the volatile oils. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analyses ( DB-5 Optima-5 column) of the essential oil were performed and its insecticidal activity determined. Results: GC-MS spectrometry showed that the major chemical components of the oil were tetradecanoic acid (22 %), hexanoic acid, �-phellandrene (13 %), and citronellol sp. (7 %). The work also revealed significant insecticidal activity of 80 % and 60 % against Rhyzopertha dominica and Tribolium castaneum, respectively. Conclusion : The study established the chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of the plant leaf. Future formulation studies, toxicity profile and possible mechanism of action may lead to the development of a potential insecticidal product.
Highlights
The tropical rainforests provide a lot of medicinal plants with potential medicinal properties but the ethno- and phytopharmaceuticals of these plants have not been fully exploited[1]
A total of 19 components were identified by their retention indices retention index (RI), as well as by GC-MS and other spectroscopic techniques, accounting for 95 % of the oil
The oil comprised of fatty acid derivatives (52 %), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (32 %) caroyphyllene (6 %), and oxygenated sequiterpenes such as carophylene oxide (5 %)
Summary
The tropical rainforests provide a lot of medicinal plants with potential medicinal properties but the ethno- and phytopharmaceuticals of these plants have not been fully exploited[1]. Their potential medicinal importance is due to the species richness of the tropical flora, and to the diversity of pathogens, parasites and herbivores against which the plants must provide defensive mechanism. The use of plants as an alternative in controlling insects is attracting attention from scientists’ worldwide probably due to the non toxicity, affordability and availability of the products[3]. Scanty phytochemical information on this plant exists. Extensive information about the morphology, ethnomedicine, karyology and ecogeographic differentiation of the genus has been accumulated[7,8]
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