article · Plants
Yassine Ez zoubiEssential oils from wild-grown pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), alongside their primary monoterpene components, demonstrate strong insecticidal activity against adult female Culex pipiens mosquitoes. Evaluated in glass-jar fumigation tests, both the raw essential oils and individual compounds, including carvone, R(+)-pulegone, 1,8-cineole, camphor, and alpha-pinene, achieved higher mortality rates than the synthetic insecticide deltamethrin. Peak mortality occurred at 312.5 microlitres per litre of air, reaching up to 97.71 percent after 48 hours of exposure. Mentha pulegium oil proved particularly potent, showing the lowest median lethal concentration values after 24 and 48 hours. The pure monoterpenes also induced significant mortality that varied according to concentration and exposure duration. These plant-derived extracts and molecules offer proven fumigant toxicity against a known disease vector, highlighting their potential as eco-friendly alternatives in sustainable mosquito control programmes.
Culex pipiens mosquitoes transmit serious diseases, including West Nile virus, making effective vector control critical for public health. Conventional synthetic insecticides like deltamethrin face challenges such as chemical resistance and environmental toxicity. Identifying powerful plant-derived alternatives helps in the design of sustainable, biodegradable fumigants that can reduce mosquito populations while lowering ecological harm.
This research could enable the formulation of plant-based mosquito fumigants for public health authorities and vector control operators. However, because testing was conducted entirely within laboratory glass jars, the findings represent early-stage research. Extensive real-world trials, formulation optimisation, residual efficacy testing, and regulatory approvals will be needed before these essential oils or monoterpenes can be developed into near-market products.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
The present study investigates the insecticidal effect of plant extract such as Mentha pulegium and Rosmarinus officinalis essential oils and some of their major compounds; these plants are well known for their many biological activities. The fumigant toxicity was evaluated, using glass jars, against female adults of Culex pipiens that constitute a mosquito vector of important diseases such as the West Nile virus. The adulticidal test showed that both essential oils and monoterpenes presented an insecticidal effect better than the chemical insecticide (Deltamethrin). The highest mortality percentages for the two essential oils have occurred at 312.5 µL/L air (between 56.14 ± 1.7% and 97.71 ± 3.03% after 24 h and 48 h of treatment). Moreover, all tested monoterpenes (carvone, R(+)-pulegone, 1,8-cineole, camphor and α-pinene) have produced high mortalities that varied depending on the time of the treatment and the concentrations used. Lethal concentrations (LC50) obtained for the essential oils and the main compounds have also varied according to the exposure time. M. pulegium and R. officinalis essential oil exhibited the lowest LC50 values after 24 h (72.94 and 222.82 µL/L air, respectively) and after 48 h (25.43 and 55.79 µL/L air, respectively) while the pure molecules revealed the lowest LC50 values after 48 h (between 84.96 and 578.84 µL/L air). This finding proves that the two essential oils and their main compounds have an insecticidal potential, which could help to develop natural toxic fumigants that may be used as an eco-friendly alternative in integrated and sustainable vector management.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.3390/plants11091193
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
