<i>Mentha</i> spp. Essential Oils: A Potential Toxic Fumigant with Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase Activity on <i>Reticulitermes dabieshanensis</i>

oleh: Ziwei Wu, Chunzhe Jin, Yiyang Chen, Shimeng Yang, Xi Yang, Dayu Zhang, Yongjian Xie

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-11-01

Deskripsi

In this study, we analyzed the components of <i>Mentha</i> spp. essential oils (EOs) and evaluated their major constituents and binary combinations against <i>Reticulitermes dabieshanensis</i>. We also determined the activities of esterases (ESTs), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) in treated insects. According to our findings, the most effective oils were those obtained from <i>M. citrata</i> (with the major constituent linalool constituting 45.1%), <i>M. piperita</i> (menthol, 49.1%), and <i>M. spicata</i> (carvone, 69.0%), with LC<sub>50</sub> values of 0.176, 0.366, and 0.146 μL/L, respectively. The LC<sub>50</sub> values were recorded for linalool (0.303 μL/L), followed by menthol (0.272 μL/L), and carvone (0.147 μL/L). The insecticidal potency increased with binary mixtures of major active constituents, with carvone strongly synergizing the toxicity of linalool and menthol against <i>R. dabieshanensis</i>. Compared to the control, except for <i>M. citrata</i> treated with no difference in α-NA or GST activity, the activities of ESTs and GST in other treatment groups were significantly increased. Additionally, our results found that <i>Mentha</i> spp. EOs and their major constituents inhibited the activity of AChE in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we performed a structure-based virtual screening of linalool, menthol, and carvone to identify that linalool had the greatest potential to bind to the active site of AChE. The present study suggests that <i>Mentha</i> spp. EOs could provide an additional approach for the management of termites over synthetic insecticides.