Exploring the Larvicidal and Adulticidal Activity against of Essential Oil from .

This study investigates the chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the leaves of (Mart.) R.E.Fr (Annonaceae), examining its effectiveness in combating both the larvae and adult forms of mosquitoes. Additionally, for a deeper understanding of the insecticidal activity, toxicity properties and molecular docking calculations were conducted using the main compounds of this essential oil. GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of 26 constituents, representing 95.2% of the essential oil, with the major components identified as the sesquiterpenes -selinene, -selinene, and -elemene. Larvicidal assays demonstrated potent activity of this essential oil with significant LC values of 40.8 and 39.4 μg/mL at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Adulticidal assessments highlighted strong efficacy with LC of 12.5 µg/mL. Molecular docking analysis identified optimal interaction activities of -selinene and -selinene with key proteins. The in silico studies comparing synthetic insecticides with the major sesquiterpenes of the essential oil revealed that -selinene exhibited a significantly higher binding affinity compared to the other two sesquiterpenes. Also, ADMET studies of the three main sesquiterpenes indicated acceptable drug-like properties. In these findings, safety evaluations showed low toxicity and skin sensitization for the main sesquiterpenes, contrasting with commercial synthetic insecticides. Therefore, in silico analyses suggest promising interactions with proteins, indicating its potential as an effective alternative to conventional insecticides These results show the larvicidal and adulticidal potential of the essential oil from against , supported by its predominant constituents, -selinene, -selinene and -elemene.