Unveiling the Larvicidal Potential of Golpar (<i>Heracleum persicum</i> Desf. ex Fisch.) Essential Oil and Its Main Constituents on <i>Aedes</i> and <i>Anopheles</i> Mosquito Vectors
Marta Ferrati,
Cecilia Baldassarri,
Paolo Rossi,
Guido Favia,
Giovanni Benelli,
Livia De Fazi,
Mohammad Reza Morshedloo,
Luana Quassinti,
Riccardo Petrelli,
Eleonora Spinozzi,
Filippo Maggi
Affiliations
Marta Ferrati
Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Cecilia Baldassarri
School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Paolo Rossi
School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Guido Favia
School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Giovanni Benelli
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Livia De Fazi
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Mohammad Reza Morshedloo
Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh 551877684, Iran
Luana Quassinti
School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Riccardo Petrelli
Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Eleonora Spinozzi
Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Filippo Maggi
Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Natural products are thoroughly studied as valuable alternatives to synthetic insecticides. Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisch. (Apiaceae), commonly known as Golpar, is an Iranian medicinal plant largely employed as a spice, which has previously revealed insecticidal potential. The chemical composition of H. persicum essential oil (EO) was investigated by GC-MS and was mainly dominated by hexyl butyrate (36.1%) and octyl acetate (23.7%). The EO and its main esters were tested on three mosquito species. Aedes aegypti (L.) larvae were the most sensitive to all tested products. Lethal concentrations (LC50) of 59.09, 53.59, and 47.05 ppm were recorded for the EO, hexyl butyrate, and octyl acetate, respectively. Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Anopheles gambiae Giles demonstrated comparable sensitivity to the EO, with LC50 values of 102.97 and 97.91 ppm, respectively, whereas the isolated constituents appeared more active on An. gambiae (LC50 of hexyl butyrate and octyl acetate of 70.97 and 60.71 ppm, respectively) with respect to Ae. albopictus (LC50 of hexyl butyrate and octyl acetate of 85.40 and 91.38 ppm, respectively). Low toxicity was registered for both EO and single components against human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. Overall, the H. persicum EO, hexyl butyrate, and octyl acetate could be further considered for larvicide development.
