Biomaterial Database

Combined Toxicity of Three Essential Oils Against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Larvae. 2017

Ephantus J Muturi, and Jose L Ramirez, and Kenneth M Doll, and Michael J Bowman

Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, USDA, ARS, 1815 N. University St. Peoria, IL 61604.

Essential oils are potential alternatives to synthetic insecticides because they have low mammalian toxicity, degrade rapidly in the environment, and possess complex mixtures of bioactive constituents with multi-modal activity against the target insect populations. Twenty-one essential oils were initially screened for their toxicity against Aedes aegypti (L.) larvae and three out of the seven most toxic essential oils (Manuka, oregano, and clove bud essential oils) were examined for their chemical composition and combined toxicity against Ae. aegypti larvae. Manuka essential oil interacted synergistically with oregano essential oil and antagonistically with clove bud essential oil. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 21 components in Manuka essential oil and three components each in oregano and clove bud essential oils. Eugenol (84.9%) and eugenol acetate (9.6%) were the principal constituents in clove bud essential oil while carvacrol (75.8%) and m-isopropyltoluene (15.5%) were the major constituents in oregano essential oil. The major constituents in Manuka essential oil were calamenene (20%) and 3-dodecyl-furandione (11.4%). Manuka essential oil interacted synergistically with eugenol acetate and antagonistically with eugenol, suggesting that eugenol was a major contributor to the antagonistic interaction between Manuka and clove bud essential oils. In addition, Manuka interacted synergistically with carvacrol suggesting its contribution to the synergistic interaction between Manuka and oregano essential oils. These findings provide novel insights that can be used to develop new and safer alternatives to synthetic insecticides.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007306	Insecticides	Pesticides designed to control insects that are harmful to man. The insects may be directly harmful, as those acting as disease vectors, or indirectly harmful, as destroyers of crops, food products, or textile fabrics.	Insecticide
D007814	Larva	Wormlike or grublike stage, following the egg in the life cycle of insects, worms, and other metamorphosing animals.	Maggots,Tadpoles,Larvae,Maggot,Tadpole
D009822	Oils, Volatile	Oils which evaporate readily. The volatile oils occur in aromatic plants, to which they give odor and other characteristics. Most volatile oils consist of a mixture of two or more TERPENES or of a mixture of an eleoptene (the more volatile constituent of a volatile oil) with a stearopten (the more solid constituent). The synonym essential oils refers to the essence of a plant, as its perfume or scent, and not to its indispensability.	Essential Oil,Oil, Essential,Oil, Volatile,Oils, Essential,Volatile Oil,Essential Oils,Volatile Oils
D004357	Drug Synergism	The action of a drug in promoting or enhancing the effectiveness of another drug.	Drug Potentiation,Drug Augmentation,Augmentation, Drug,Augmentations, Drug,Drug Augmentations,Drug Potentiations,Drug Synergisms,Potentiation, Drug,Potentiations, Drug,Synergism, Drug,Synergisms, Drug
D000330	Aedes	A genus of mosquitoes (CULICIDAE) frequently found in tropical and subtropical regions. YELLOW FEVER and DENGUE are two of the diseases that can be transmitted by species of this genus.	Aede
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D045783	Clove Oil	An oil from flower buds of SYZYGIUM trees which contains large amounts of EUGENOL.	Oil of Cloves,Oil, Clove
D018675	Toxicity Tests	An array of tests used to determine the toxicity of a substance to living systems. These include tests on clinical drugs, foods, and environmental pollutants.	Tests, Toxicity,Test, Toxicity,Toxicity Test
D031341	Origanum	A plant genus of the family Lamiaceae that is the source of familiar seasonings, oregano and marjoram.	Majorana hortensis,Marjoram,Marjoram Plant,Oregano,Oregano Plant,Origanum majorana,Origanum onites,Origanum vulgare,Sweet Marjoram,Marjoram Plants,Marjoram, Sweet,Marjorams,Marjorams, Sweet,Oregano Plants,Oreganos,Plant, Marjoram,Plant, Oregano,Plants, Marjoram,Plants, Oregano,Sweet Marjorams
D031649	Leptospermum	A plant genus of the family MYRTACEAE. The common name of tea tree is also used for MELALEUCA and KUNZEA.	Manuka, New Zealand,New Zealand Manuka,Leptospermums,Zealand Manuka, New