Evaluation of the pulicidal potential of the essential oil from Curcuma zedoaria against the ectoparasite Ctenocephalides felisfelis
Essential oil; C. zedoaria; ectoparasites.
Curcuma zedoaria, commonly known as zedoary, is a plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae family, native to India. It is currently cultivated in Brazil and in countries in South and Southwest Asia. In this study, the bioinsecticidal potential of the essential oil (EO) extracted from the rhizomes of C. zedoaria(Zingiberaceae) was evaluated. The EO was obtained by hydrodistillation (3h) and identified by GC/MS. The yield was 0.15%, and the three main chemical constituents found were 1,8-cineole (24.11%), camphor (12.13%), and curzerenone (9.68%). In the bioassays conducted for the reproductive stages of the flea C. felis felis, using the filter paper impregnation method, with final concentrations of C. zedoariaEO ranging from 10 to 1000 μg.cm-2. The results showed that adult fleas exhibited 100% mortality starting from the concentration of 800 μg.cm-2at 24h and 48h, differing from the pupal stages with 94.23% mortality at the concentration of 396 μg.cm-2, larvae with 100% mortality at the concentration of 117.5 μg.cm-2at 24h and 48h, and eggs with 98% mortality at the concentration of 396 μg.cm-2. Regarding the inhibitory action of C. zedoariaEO on the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, as verified through the modified Ellman method, it was observed that the activity observed, using the EO, when compared to the control, demonstrated low inhibition, as the oil inhibited approximately 20% of the enzymatic activity, even at its highest concentration. In toxicity assays using the yeast S. cerevisiaeas a research model, it was observed that C. zedoariaEO exhibited high toxicity, as the assay resulted in mitochondrial damage, thus impairing cellular development. Further studies are required, as despite showing bioinsecticidal potential against different developmental stages of the flea C. felis felis, the EO proved to be toxic in the assays conducted with the yeast S. cerevisiae.