Summary: | Essential oils (EOs) have recently attracted more interest due to their insecticidal activities, low harmfulness, and rapid degradation in the environment. Therefore, <i>Lavandula steochas</i> (<i>L. steochas</i>) essential oil was assessed for its chemical constituents, in vitro cytotoxicity, and scolicidal, acaricidal, and insecticidal activities. Using spectrometry and gas chromatography, the components of L. steochas EOs were detected. Additionally, different oil concentrations were tested for their anticancer activities when applied to human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293 cells) and the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The oil’s scolicidal activity against protoscolices of hydatid cysts was evaluated at various concentrations and exposure times. The oil’s adulticidal, larvicidal, and repelling effects on <i>R. annulatus</i> ticks were also investigated at various concentrations, ranging from 0.625 to 10%. Likewise, the larvicidal and pupicidal activities of <i>L. steochas</i> against <i>Musca domestica</i> were estimated at different concentrations. The analyses of <i>L. steochas</i> oil identified camphor as the predominant compound (58.38%). <i>L. steochas</i> oil showed significant cytotoxicity against cancer cells. All of the tested oil concentrations demonstrated significant scolicidal activities against the protoscoleces of hydatid cysts. <i>L. steochas</i> EO (essential oil) showed 100% adulticidal activity against <i>R. annulatus</i> at a 10% concentration with an LC<sub>50</sub> of 2.34%, whereas the larvicidal activity was 86.67% and the LC<sub>50</sub> was 9.11%. On the other hand, the oil showed no repellent activity against this tick’s larva. Furthermore, <i>L. steochas</i> EO achieved 100% larvicidal and pupicidal effects against <i>M. domestica</i> at a 10% concentration with LC<sub>50</sub> values of 1.79% and 1.51%, respectively. In conclusion, the current work suggests that <i>L. steochas</i> EO could serve as a potential source of scolicidal, acaricidal, insecticidal, and anticancer agents.
|