Abstract
The arboviruses Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika virus are present in several tropical regions and are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The containment of these diseases is done by fighting the vector, usually using chemical insecticides, such as organophosphates and organochlorines. These provoke the resistance of the transmitter, have a high accumulation rate in the body of non-target populations, and promote the contamination of ecosystems. The application of materials of natural origin with larvicidal activity, such as essential oils, is a promising alternative to replace the use of chemical insecticides. In this systematic review, we sought to present the larvicidal properties of essential oils from botanical species of Brazilian flora against Ae. aegypti. The search resulted in 36 papers selected as articles of interest. The 65 plants described in the selected articles showed larvicidal activity mostly excellent (27 were classified as strongly active) or satisfactory (13 were moderately active, and 24 were effective), while only one was inactive. The species that showed the highest larvicidal activity were: Anacardium occidentalis L. (0.01 ppm); Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (0.04 ppm); Carapa guianensis Aubl. (0.06 ppm); Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt. (0.10 ppm); Ageratum conyzoides L. (0.15 ppm); Tagetes minuta L. (0.21 – 0.25 ppm); and Siparuna guianensis Aubl. (1.76, 0.98 and 2.46 ppm). Studies on the essential oils of Brazilian plants are of great relevance to combat arboviruses. The Brazilian flora, despite its vast biodiversity, is still little known and explored, possessing a huge potential for the development of eco-friendly, environmentally safe, and low-cost products.
Highlights
Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses are the main arboviruses present in tropical countries, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito
This systematic review article addressed the topic: "Larvicidal properties of essential oils from plants occurring in Brazil against Ae. aegypti", seeking to answer the following question: "Is there evidence of the effectiveness of using essential oils from plants occurring in Brazil to combat Ae. aegypti? The search was conducted in the following databases: Portal de Periódicos CAPES/MEC; PubMed.gov; SciELO.org; ScienceDirect (Elsevier); and Web of Science – Core Collection (Clarivate Analytics), using the descriptors: Aedes aegypti; Brazil; Brazilian plants; essential oil; larvicidal
Unlike chemical insecticides, which are harmful to the environment and, when unstable, require periodic application to the soil, essential oils are an eco-friendly and economically viable alternative in combating arboviruses transmitted by Ae. aegypti
Summary
Chikungunya and Zika viruses are the main arboviruses present in tropical countries, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The usual forms of mosquito control occur through chemical insecticides, such as organochlorines and organophosphates (Moreira et al, 2012). Organophosphates have a higher acute toxicity for mammals, are chemically unstable and biodegradable, have a short persistence in soil, and need to be replaced periodically (Nascimento & Melnyk, 2016), and have been widely used in the health area. Essential oils are complex natural mixtures that contain about 20-60 components in different concentrations (Bakkali et al, 2008), being composed predominantly of terpenic hydrocarbons and terpenoids. They are characterized by two or three main components in reasonably high concentration (20% - 70%) compared to other components present in trace amounts (Koul et al, 2008). Essential oils can be produced in all parts of the plant, such as in barks, stems, flowers, leaves, fruits, branches, roots, seeds (Bizzo et al, 2009), and are stored in secretory cells, cavities, channels, epidermal cells or glandular trichomes (Carréra, 2016)
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