<i>Salvia</i> Spp. Essential Oils against the Arboviruses Vector <i>Aedes albopictus</i> (Diptera: Culicidae): Bioactivity, Composition, and Sensorial Profile—Stage 1

Mosquito-borne arboviruses diseases cause a substantial public health burden within their expanding range. To date, their control relies on synthetic insecticides and repellents aimed to control the competent mosquito vectors. However, their use is hampered by their high economic, environmental, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Basma Najar, Luisa Pistelli, Francesca Venturi, Giuseppe Ferroni, Silvia Giovanelli, Claudio Cervelli, Stefano Bedini, Barbara Conti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
Series:Biology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/9/8/206
Description
Summary:Mosquito-borne arboviruses diseases cause a substantial public health burden within their expanding range. To date, their control relies on synthetic insecticides and repellents aimed to control the competent mosquito vectors. However, their use is hampered by their high economic, environmental, and human health impacts. Natural products may represent a valid eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides to control mosquitoes, and mosquito-borne parasitic diseases. The aim of this work was to combine the chemical and sensorial profiles with the bioactivity data of <i>Salvia</i> spp. essential oils (EOs) to select the most suitable EO to be used as a repellent and insecticide against the invasive mosquito <i>Aedes albopictus</i> (Diptera: Culicidae), vector of pathogens and parasites, and to describe the EOs smell profile. To do this, the EOs of four <i>Salvia</i> species, namely <i>S. dolomitica</i>, <i>S. dorisiana</i>, <i>S. sclarea</i>, and <i>S. somalensis</i> were extracted, chemically analyzed and tested for their bioactivity as larvicides and repellents against <i>Ae. albopictus</i>. Then, the smell profiles of the EOs were described by a panel of assessors. The LC<sub>50</sub> of the EOs ranged from 71.08 to 559.77 μL L<sup>−1</sup> for <i>S. dorisiana</i> and <i>S. sclarea</i>, respectively. <i>S. sclarea</i> EO showed the highest repellence among the tested EOs against <i>Ae. albopictus</i> females (RD<sub>95</sub> = 12.65 nL cm<sup>−2</sup>), while the most long-lasting, at the dose of 20 nL cm<sup>−2</sup>, was <i>S. dorisiana</i> (Complete Protection Time = 43.28 ± 3.43 min). <i>S. sclarea</i> EO showed the best smell profile, while <i>S. dolomitica</i> EO the worst one with a high number of off-flavors. Overall, all the EOs, with the exception of the <i>S. dolomitica</i> one, were indicated as suitable for “environmental protection”, while <i>S. dorisiana</i> and <i>S. sclarea</i> were indicated as suitable also for “Body care”.
ISSN:2079-7737