Green insecticide against Chagas disease: effects of essential oil from Myrciaria floribunda (Myrtaceae) on the development of Rhodnius prolixus nymphs

ABSTRACT

The main strategy of interrupting Trypanossoma cruzi transmission is to control the vector populations. Studies of new agents with activity against these vectors have a priority interest. This study evaluated the insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Myrciaria floribunda against nymphs of R. prolixus. M. floribunda was collected in Jurubatiba Sandbank (southeastern Brazil). Leaves were extracted by hydrodistillation and the essential oil analyzed by mass spectrometry and flame ionization gas chromatography. The pure essential oil at various dilutions or purified 1,8-cineole was topically applied to R. prolixus. Sesquiterpenes were the main group detected followed by monoterpenes. M. floribunda essential oil, but not 1,8-cineole, significantly increased mortality and disrupted metamorphosis. Overaged nymphs and juvenoid-like insects were also observed. Our data indicate the special metabolites in the essential oil of M. floribunda as promising candidates for studying insecticidal activity and for use as environmentally friendly control compounds to Chagas disease vectors.

KEYWORDS:

• Myrciaria floribunda
• essential oil
• Chagas disease vector
• Rhodnius prolixus
• insect growth regulator
• insecticide activity

Highlights

• We evaluated the effect of Myrciaria floribunda essential oil (MFEO) on R. prolixus.

• MFEO increased mortality, disrupted metamorphosis, overaged and juvenoid-like nymphs.

• MFEO is promising candidate for control of Chagas disease vectors.

Acknowledgments

The authors also thank the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) for grants to the scientific initiation students, as well as Genilton José Vieira and (Laboratório de Produção e Tratamento de Imagens, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZ) for helping with the illustrations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and PROCIÊNCIA-Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).