A NATURAL MOSQUITO REPELLENT FORMULATION AGAINST AEDES SPECIES FROM HERBAL ESSENTIAL OILS

Tóm tắt

Essential oil-based repellents provide a sustainable alternative to synthetic mosquito control methods and help combat diseases like dengue and Zika. This study developed a natural repellent using essential oils from betel leaf, Java citronella, and cinnamon to effectively target Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The formulation included 0.8% poly (ethylene glycol) as a fixative and was evaluated using a volunteer-free cage test model with an artificial skin attractant, ensuring ethical compliance. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified key repellent compounds, including chavibetol, citronellal, and cinnamaldehyde. The repellent achieved complete protection times of 3.93 ± 0.21 hours against A. aegypti and 5.10 ± 0.78 hours against A. albopictus, significantly longer than the control group. These results highlight the formulation's potential for effective mosquito control, with poly(ethylene glycol) enhancing protection duration. Future field studies are recommended to confirm its real-world efficacy.