Mosquito Larvicidal Activity of the Essential Oils of Species Growing Wild in Vietnam.

Mosquito-borne infections are a constant problem in Vietnam, and mosquito vector control is a primary approach to control these infections. Essential oils represent environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic pesticides for mosquito control. The essential oils of two weedy species in Vietnam, and , have been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography⁻mass spectrometry. The essential oils have been screened for mosquito larvicidal activity against , , and . The essential oil from the aerial parts of was rich in α-pinene (14.5%), limonene (21.4%), and caryophyllene oxide (15.1%), while essential oil was dominated by myrcene (47.8%) and α-pinene (30.2%). Both essential oils showed good larvicidal activity against (24-h LC 10.5 and 5.8 μg/mL, respectively) and (24-h LC 10.6 and 12.5 μg/mL, respectively). The essential oil of also showed good activity against larvae (24-h LC = 40.7 μg/mL). Thus, essential oils may serve as low-cost vector control agents for mosquito-borne infections.