Larvicidal and Repellent Activity of Mentha arvensis L. Essential Oil against Aedes aegypti.

Ho Dung Manh,Ong Thi Tuyet

doi:10.3390/insects11030198

Abstract

Dengue is one of the most dangerous vector-borne diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The use of mosquito repellents to protect human hosts and insecticides to reduce the mosquito population is a crucial strategy to prevent the disease. Here, we reported larvicidal and repellent activities of Mentha arvensis L. essential oil against Aedes aegypti, the main vector of the disease. The essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation from the aromatic plant grown in Vietnam. The yield was 0.67% based on the weight of fresh leaves. The essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main components were menthol (66.04%), menthyl acetate (22.19%), menthone (2.51%), and limonene (2.04%). Toxicity test on Aedes aegypti larvae showed that the median lethal concentrations, LC50 and LC90 were 78.1 ppm (part per million) and 125.7 ppm, respectively. Besides, the essential oil showed excellent repellency on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. At 25%, 50%, and 100% concentration, the respective complete protection times (CPTs) were 45 min, 90 min, and 165 min. When adding 5% vanillin to the essential oil (25%), the complete protection time of the essential oil increased up to 120 min. In conclusion, the EO from Mentha arvensis L. has been shown to be a promising natural larvicide and repellent against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Highlights

Dengue is one of the most important vector-borne diseases and is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.There are millions of infections that occur every year in the world [1,2]
The essential oil obtained from the hydro-distillation of Mentha arvensis L. leaves was achieved after one-hour extraction
We found that the addition of 5% vanillin to the Mentha arvensis essential oil (25%) increased the protection time of the oil nearly 3 times, from 45 min up to 120 min

Summary

Introduction

Dengue is one of the most important vector-borne diseases and is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.There are millions of infections that occur every year in the world [1,2]. Global warming and human population growth have led to an increase in mosquito population and number of infections [3]. Disease control in practice usually includes using insecticide to reduce the mosquito population [4]. Using chemical repellents to protect the human host from mosquito bites [5]. Synthetic insecticides such as organophosphate, pyrethroid, etc. The continuous increase in the use of the synthetic insecticides has led to mosquito resistance [6], and more importantly, potential toxicity in the environment and adverse effects on human health [7,8]. Repellents are often used to protect against mosquito bites by applying on human skin. DEET has some potential risks for human health, especially a high level of DEET was reported to have adverse effects on children [10]

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