Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of the essential oil from the leaves of Onychopetalum periquino (Rusby) DM Johnson & NA Murray

The essential oil (EO) from the leaves of Onychopetalum periquino, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and also was investigated for its larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae. Thirteen compounds, representing 91.31% of the crude oil, were identified. Major compounds were sesquiterpenes, including beta-elemene (53.16%), spathulenol (11.94%) and beta-selinene (9.25%). The EO showed high larvicidal activity with a lethal concentration (LC50) of 63.75 mu g/mL and 100% mortality at 200 mu g/mL. These results represent the first report about the chemical composition of O. periquino and the first larvicidal evaluation with Onychopetalum species.

Automated summary

The study is the first to report the chemical composition of the essential oil from Onychopetalum periquino leaves and demonstrate its high larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae.