African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12496

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of larvicidal activity of the essential oils of plants species from Brazil against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Michele A. A. Lima1, Francisco Fábio M. de Oliveira2,3, Geovany A. Gomes4,5, Patrícia L. Lavor6, Gilvandete M. P. Santiago1,6*, Aparecida T. Nagao-Dias3, Ângela M. C. Arriaga1, Telma L. G. Lemos1 and Mário Geraldo de Carvalho5
  1Curso de Pós-Graduação em Química, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Cx Postal 12.200, 60021-970, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. 2Curso de Pós-Graduação em Microbiologia Médica, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Rua Monsenhor Furtado S/N, 60430-270, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. 3Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Rua Capitão Francisco Pedro 1210, 60430-370, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. 4Curso de Química, Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú, 62040-370, Sobral, Ceará, Brazil. 5Curso de Pós-Graduação em Química, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, 23890-000, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 6Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Rua Capitão Francisco Pedro 1210, 60430-370, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 18 August 2011
  •  Published: 21 September 2011

Abstract

 

Essential oils obtained from the leaves of Myrcia ovata Cambess., Psidium guajava L., Spondias purpurea L. and Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. were gotten by hydrodistillation, analyzed by GC-MS and GC, and tested against third-instar Aedes aegypti larvae. The essential oils exhibited significant larvicidal activity with LC50 values ranging from 24.7 to 192.1 µg/ml. Larvicidal activities of 1,8-cineole and carvacrol, the major compounds of the essential oil from P. guajavaand P. amboinicus were also evaluated and their LC50 values were 47.9 ± 0.3 and 58.9 ± 0.4 µg/ml, respectively. The results of this study showed that these essential oils and their major compounds may be potent source of natural larvicides.

 

Key words: Myrcia ovata, Psidium guajavaSpondias purpureaPlectranthus amboinicus, larvicidal activity, Aedes aegypti.