Evaluation of the larvicidal activity of essential oil from the species Oenocarpus distichus mart. against Aedes aegypti linnaeus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv12n1-053Keywords:
arbovirus infections, Aedes, biological vector control, plant extractsAbstract
Arboviruses comprise a group of infectious diseases caused by viruses transmitted by hematophagous arthropods. Among those of greatest public health relevance are Orthoflavivirus denguei, Orthoflavivirus zikaense, Alphavirus chikungunya, and Orthoflavivirus flavi, predominantly transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The expansion of larval breeding sites driven by urbanization favors the proliferation and dispersal of A. aegypti, contributing to increased disease incidence. Given the persistent challenges in controlling this vector, numerous studies have assessed biological and natural control strategies, particularly the use of plant-derived extracts with potential larvicidal properties. This study evaluated the larvicidal activity of the essential extract from Oenocarpus distichus Mart. under laboratory conditions, aiming to identify compounds with toxicity to A. aegypti larvae. Materials and Methods: Fruits of O. distichus Mart. were obtained from a subsample maintained at the Active Germplasm Bank (AGB) of bacaba palms at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, Pará. Approximately 6 kg of fruits were selected, washed, frozen, and subsequently lyophilized for essential oil extraction. Larvicidal assays followed the protocol recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2005), which details larval rearing procedures and the preparation and application of test substances. Extract concentrations of 500, 250, 100, 50, and 25 μg/mL were evaluated after 1 h, 24 h, and 48 h of exposure. No significant mortality of A. aegypti larvae was observed at any concentration or exposure period. Conclusion: Under the conditions tested, the extract of O. distichus Mart. did not exhibit larvicidal activity. The absence of detectable biological effects suggests that the extract does not contain active compounds in sufficient concentration to induce larval mortality, at least within the evaluated experimental range.
References
ABADIO FINCO, F. D.; KAMMERER, D. R.; CARLE, R.; et al. Atividade antioxidante e caracterização de compostos fenólicos do fruto da bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba Mart.) por HPLC-DAD-MS(n). Revista de Química Agrícola e Alimentar, v. 60, n. 31, p. 7665-7673, 2012. DOI: 10.1021/jf3007689.
AHMAD, I.; ASTIKHAH, R.; NOR, A. F. Larvicidal activity of some Euphorbiaceae plant extracts against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of King Saud University – Science, v. 20, n. 1, p. 17-24, 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1018-3647(18)30722-2.
ALBUQUERQUE, U. P. et al. Natural products from Brazilian biodiversity: a novel source of biopesticides. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, v. 33, 2022.
BENELLI, G.; PAVELA, R. Beyond mosquitoes - Essential oil toxicity and repellency against bloodsucking insects. Industrial Crops and Products, v. 117, p. 382-392, 2018.
BRAGA, I. A.; VALLE, D. Aedes aegypti: histórico do controle no Brasil. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde, v. 16, n. 4, p. 295-302, 2007.
CARVALHO, Ana Vânia et al. Phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of bacaba-de-leque (Oenocarpus distichus Mart.) genotypes. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, v. 54, p. 1-9, 2016.
CORRÊA, J. C. R.; SALGADO, H. R. N. Atividade inseticida das plantas e aplicações: revisão. Revista Brasileira de Plantas Medicinais, v. 13, p. 500-506, 2011.
ELGAMAL, R.; SONG, C.; RAYAN, A. M.; LIU, C.; AL-REJAIE, S.; ELMASRY, G. Thermal degradation of bioactive compounds during drying process of horticultural and agronomic products: a comprehensive overview. Agronomy, v. 13, n. 6, p. 1580, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061580.
FINCO, F. D. B. A.; KLOSS, L.; GRAEVE, L. Bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba) phenolic extract induces apoptosis in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line via the mitochondria-dependent pathway. NFS Journal, v. 5, p. 5-15, 2016.
FREITAS, E. V. de S.; GOMES, M. D. de S.; ALMEIDA, F. S.; DIAS, D. D.; LIMA, A. B. de; SILVA, P. I. C.; SILVA, E. V. P.; ROSA JUNIOR, J. W.; DURANS, D. de B. S.; SILVA, F. S. da; CARVALHO, C. A. M. de; WANZELLER, A. L. M. Evaluation of the antiviral effect of Oenocarpus distichus Mart. fruit extract in IMR-32 cells infected by Alphavirus chikungunya. Brazilian Journal of Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 6, p. e80485, 2025. DOI: 10.34117/bjdv11n6-055, 2025.
ISMAN, M. B. Botanical insecticides in the twenty-first century—fulfilling their promise? Annual Review of Entomology, v. 65, p. 233-249, 2020.
LIM, H.; LEE, S. Y.; HO, L. Y.; SIT, N. W. Mosquito larvicidal activity and cytotoxicity of the extracts of aromatic plants from Malaysia. Insects, v. 14, n. 6, p. 512, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14060512.
MEDEIROS, V. F. Potencial larvicida de extratos de plantas regionais no controle de larvas de Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). 2007. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciências Biológicas) – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2007.
NASCIMENTO, G. N. L.; RIBEIRO, C. L.; PEREIRA, R. J.; PIRES, C. R. F.; LACERDA, G. E. Composição centesimal e aspectos físico-químicos dos frutos da bacaba (Oenocarpus distichus Mart.). Revista Cereus, v. 9, n. 3, p. 153-170; 5, 2017.
SALOMÃO, R. P. et al. The role of Amazonian biodiversity in the discovery of new compounds with antiparasitic and insecticidal activities. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, v. 117, e210391, 2022.
SILVA, J. C. et al. Development and evaluation of a quercetin nanosuspension for enhancement of its larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, v. 28, n. 5, p. 691-697, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2018.07.003.
SOARES, P. A. S. Mudanças climáticas, arboviroses emergentes no Brasil e desafios para a saúde pública: revisão de escopo. [S.l.: s.n.], 2024.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. Guidelines for laboratory and field testing of mosquito larvicides. Geneva: WHO, 2005.
Hidalgo P.S.P., Nunomura R.C.S., Nunomura S.M., da Silva Pinto A.C., and Tadei W.P., 2016, Larvicidal activities against Aedes aegypti and Culexquinquefasciatus of some extracts from Amazon edible fruits, Journal of Mosquito Research, 6 (28): 1-5 (doi: 10.5376/jmr.2016.06.0028).
