The volatile oil of Piper Macedoi Yunck has larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae from insectary and natural breeding

Abstract Brazil and all of Latin America face a significant challenge related to dengue fever in 2024. The vector of urban arboviruses, Aedes aegypti, has become a public health problem due the resistance to insecticides used to combat it. In this study, we describe the chemical profile and larvicidal potential of the volatile oil obtained from Piper macedoi against Aedes aegypti larvae. The volatile oil was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. A. aegypti larvae obtained from urban breeding sites and insectary were exposed to different concentrations of P. macedoi’s volatile oil. The oil showed 65 substances (monoterpenes: 52.62%, sesquiterpenes: 17.96%, arylpropanoids: 27.47%). After 24h of exposure to P. macedoi’s oil, larvae collected in the urban breeding sites and insectary presented 100% mortality at concentrations between 250-1000 ppm, with LC50 of 105 ppm and 196 ppm, respectively. Thus, the study presents P. macedoi’s volatile oil as a potential new natural alternative to control the expansion of A. aegypti.