Molecules 2012, 17(12), 14870-14881; doi:10.3390/molecules171214870
Article

Chemical Composition and Insecticidal Activity of the Essential Oil of Illicium pachyphyllum Fruits against Two Grain Storage Insects

Peng Liu 1 , Xin-Chao Liu 2 , Hui-Wen Dong 3 , Zhi-Long Liu 2,* email, Shu-Shan Du 4  and Zhi-Wei Deng 1
1 Analytic and Testing Center, Beijing Normal University, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China 2 Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China 3 Department of Biology, Taiyuan University, Taiyuan 030031, China 4 College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 23 November 2012; in revised form: 10 December 2012 / Accepted: 11 December 2012 / Published: 13 December 2012
(This article belongs to the Section Natural Products)
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [278 KB, uploaded 13 December 2012 11:18 CET]
Abstract: The aim of this research was to determine chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Illicium pachyphyllum fruits against two grain storage insects, Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium castaneum, and to isolate any insecticidal constituents from the essential oil. The essential oil of I. pachyphyllum fruits was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 36 components of the essential oil were identified, with the principal compounds in the essential oil being trans-ρ-mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (24.56%), D-limonene (9.79%), caryophyllene oxide (9.32%), and cis-carveol (5.26%) followed by β-caryophyllene (4.63%) and bornyl acetate. Based on bioactivity-guided fractionation, the three active constituents were isolated and identified as trans-ρ-mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol, D-limonene and caryophyllene oxide. The essential oil of I. pachyphyllum fruits exhibited contact toxicity against S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults, with LD50 values of 17.33 μg/adult and 28.94 μg/adult, respectively. trans-p-Mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (LD50 = 8.66 μg/adult and 13.66 μg/adult, respectively) exhibited stronger acute toxicity against S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults than either caryophyllene oxide (LD50 = 34.09 μg/adult and 45.56 μg/adult) and D-limonene (LD50 = 29.86 μg/adult and 20.14 μg/adult). The essential oil of I. pachyphyllum possessed fumigant toxicity against S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults with LC50 values of 11.49 mg/L and 15.08 mg/L, respectively. trans-p-Mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol exhibited stronger fumigant toxicity against S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults, respectively, with LC50 values of 6.01 mg/L and 8.14 mg/L, than caryophyllene oxide (LC50 = 17.02 mg/L and 15.98 mg/L) and D-limonene (LC50 = 33.71 mg/L and 21.24 mg/L). The results indicate that the essential oil of I. pachyphyllum fruits and its constituent compounds have potential for development into natural insecticides or fumigants for the control of insects in stored grains.
Keywords: Illicium pachyphyllum; Sitophilus zeamais; Tribolium castaneum; contact toxicity; fumigant; essential oil composition

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Liu, P.; Liu, X.-C.; Dong, H.-W.; Liu, Z.-L.; Du, S.-S.; Deng, Z.-W. Chemical Composition and Insecticidal Activity of the Essential Oil of Illicium pachyphyllum Fruits against Two Grain Storage Insects. Molecules 2012, 17, 14870-14881.

AMA Style

Liu P, Liu X-C, Dong H-W, Liu Z-L, Du S-S, Deng Z-W. Chemical Composition and Insecticidal Activity of the Essential Oil of Illicium pachyphyllum Fruits against Two Grain Storage Insects. Molecules. 2012; 17(12):14870-14881.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liu, Peng; Liu, Xin-Chao; Dong, Hui-Wen; Liu, Zhi-Long; Du, Shu-Shan; Deng, Zhi-Wei. 2012. "Chemical Composition and Insecticidal Activity of the Essential Oil of Illicium pachyphyllum Fruits against Two Grain Storage Insects." Molecules 17, no. 12: 14870-14881.

Molecules EISSN 1420-3049 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert