Nanoemulsion of Myrtus communis essential oil and evaluation of its larvicidal activity against Anopheles stephensi

PurposeExcessive use of chemical insecticides has caused environmental pollution and vector resistance. Herbal essential oils with larvicidal properties are good alternatives to synthetic insecticides.mIn this study, larvicide properties of Myrtus communis essential oil and its nanoemulsion against Anopheles stephensi were investigated.MethodsComponents of Myrtus communis essential oil were identified by GC–MS. Nanoemulsion of essential oil was made with Tween 80, Span 20, and water. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) determined particle size and morphology of nanoemulsions. The larvicide activity compared with bulk essential oil.ResultsA total of 107 M. communis essential oil compounds were discovered. The morphology of a selected nanoemulsion was spherical. LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ of M. communis essential oil were calculated as 26.1 and 46.2 µg/ml, respectively. The larvicide activity of nanoemulsion increased by 40% compared to the bulk essential oil. The nanoemulsion's larvicide activity (100%) lasted up to 3 days, while the essential oil had larvicide properties only for up to 24 h.ConclusionsMyrtus communis essential oil was found to be an effective larvicide and classified as an active larvicide. The residual efficacy of the nanoformulation of M. communis significantly increased compared with the bulk essential oil.