Chemical constituents and larvicidal activity of the microencapsulated essential oil of Citrus aurantium L. against Aedes aegypti

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical profile and larvicidal activity of the microencapsulated essential oil (EO) of Citrus aurantium L. against Aedes aegypti. The barks of C. aurantium were collected in São Luís-MA. The EO was extracted by hydrodistillation at 100°C for 3h, with chemical characterization through Gas Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Encapsulation of the EO was performed by ionic gelling. To quantify the total phenolic content of the EO, the Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method was applied. Then, the lethality of the EO against Aedes aegypti was evaluated, and the LC50 for the action of the EO was calculated using the Probit method. The major constituents found in the EO of C. aurantium were: (-)-Terpinen-4-ol (32, 56%) and Caryophyllene oxide (23.52%). The larvicidal activity of the EO showed a LC50 of 3.589 mg L-1. The results indicate that the evaluated EO is composed of substances that provide a good larvicidal effect, revealing its efficiency in combating and controlling Aedes aegypti.