Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of essential oils from Piper species

• Published in: Biochemical systematics and ecology Vol. 35; no. 10; pp. 670 - 675
• Main Authors: de Morais, Selene Maia, Facundo, Valdir Alves, Bertini, Luciana Medeiros, Cavalcanti, Eveline Solon Barreira, Anjos Júnior, João Francisco dos, Ferreira, Silane Aparecida, de Brito, Edy Sousa, de Souza Neto, Manoel Alves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2007
• Subjects: Aedes aegypti; Dillapiol; Essential oil; Larvicidal activity; Piper; Piper gaudichaudianum; Piperaceae; Piperaceae; Larvicidal activity; Dillapiol; Essential oil; Aedes aegypti
• ISSN: 0305-1978; 1873-2925
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2007.05.002

The larvicidal activity of essential oils of four species of
Piper from the Amazon Forest was tested using third-instar larvae of
Aedes aegypti. The oils were extracted by steam distillation and analyzed by GC and GC–MS. The main components isolated from each
Piper species were as follows: viridiflorol (27.50%), aromadendrene (15.55%) and β-selinene (10.50%) from
Piper gaudichaudianum; β-selinene (15.77%) and caryophyllene oxide (16.63%) from
Piper humaytanum; dillapiol (54.70%) and myristicin (25.61%) from
Piper permucronatum; and asaricin (27.37%) and myristicin (20.26%) from
Piper hostmanianum. Amongst all essential oils tested, the most active against larvae of
A. aegypti was the oil extracted from
P. permucronatum, with a LC
50
=
36
μg/ml (LC
90
=
47
μg/ml), followed by the essential oil of
P. hostmanianum, with a LC
50
=
54
μg/ml (LC
90
=
72
μg/ml). The oils with higher content of arylpropanoids were more active against larvae of
A. aegypti.