Next Article in Journal
Composition and Bioactivity of Alentejo Calamintha nepeta Essential Oil: The Impact of Seasonality and Climatic Stress on Antioxidant Capacity and MDR Antibacterial Potential
Previous Article in Journal
Thermally Regulated Curing–Degradation Windows of Epoxidized Soybean Oil-Based Epoxy–Anhydride Liquid Plugs for Sustainable High-Temperature Sealing
Previous Article in Special Issue
Integrating Machine Learning and Microwave-Assisted Green Extraction: Total Colorimetric Response Assay-Based Optimization of Opuntia ficus-indica Seed Residues
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Molecules
Volume 31
Issue 12
10.3390/molecules31122098
molecules-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Developmental Consequences of Early-Life Exposure and Adulticidal Effects of Siparuna Species Essential Oils in Aedes aegypti

by
Milton L. Montaño-Campaz
1,2,*,
Javier G. Mantilla Afanador
3,
Tarciza F. Nascimento
4,
Joshua S. Fernandes
5,
Mathews O. N. Novaes
5,
Juan G. Orrego Meza
2,
Beatriz Toro-Restrepo
2,
Lucimar G. Dias
2,
Patrícia F. Pinheiro
6,
Raimundo W. S. Aguiar
4 and
Eugenio E. Oliveira
4,5,*
1
Centro de Bioinformática y Biología Computacional de Colombia—BIOS, Ecoparque Los Yarumos, Manizales 170002, Caldas, Colombia
2
Grupo de Investigación Bionat, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales 170001, Caldas, Colombia
3
Research Institute in Microbiology and Agroindustrial Biotechnology, Universidad Católica de Manizales, Carrera 23, 60–63, Manizales 170002, Caldas, Colombia
4
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Gurupi 77402-970, TO, Brazil
5
Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
6
Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2026, 31(12), 2098; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31122098
Submission received: 14 March 2026 / Revised: 8 June 2026 / Accepted: 12 June 2026 / Published: 15 June 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Harnessing Nature’s Chemical Diversity: Innovations in Isolation, Identification, and Synthesis)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

Essential oils obtained from Siparuna plants, e.g., S. guianensis and S. gesnerioides, have potential for use as biorational insecticides. However, the activities of S. gesnerioides oils remain largely unexplored compared to S. guianensis oils. Using an integrative approach combining toxicological bioassays, geometric morphometrics, and in silico modeling, we assessed the adulticidal potential, selectivity, and the effects of early-life exposure to these oils on the larval susceptibility and adult wing morphometry of Aedes aegypti. Adulticidal assays revealed high toxicity, with S. guianensis (LC50 = 15.0 nL/mL) being 15-fold more potent than S. gesnerioides (LC50 = 233.0 nL/mL). Beyond acute lethality, early-life (i.e., eggs to L2 larvae) exposure to sublethal concentrations (S. guianensis = 7.4 nL/mL and S. gesnerioides = 118.0 nL/mL) was associated with wing morphometric disruptions and increased fluctuating asymmetry in Ae. aegypti adults, especially in those exposed to S. gesnerioides essential oil. Furthermore, early-life exposure to S. gesnerioides modulated L4 larvae susceptibility, which was associated with lower mortality in subsequent exposures. Selectivity assays demonstrated low acute oral toxicity in initial laboratory screenings with Apis mellifera, while molecular docking approaches predicted higher affinity of bicyclogermacrene and α-copaene for Ae. aegypti TRPV channels. Collectively, while S. gesnerioides oil was less acutely toxic, early-life sublethal exposures reduced fourth instar larvae (L4) susceptibility, which may have contributed to developmental instability and morphological alterations in adults. Our findings highlight the potential of Siparuna essential oils in mosquito management by impacting mosquito fitness beyond acute mortality.
Keywords: biorational insecticides; sublethal effects; fluctuating asymmetry; transient receptor potential (TRP) channels; molecular docking biorational insecticides; sublethal effects; fluctuating asymmetry; transient receptor potential (TRP) channels; molecular docking
Graphical Abstract

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Montaño-Campaz, M.L.; Mantilla Afanador, J.G.; Nascimento, T.F.; Fernandes, J.S.; Novaes, M.O.N.; Meza, J.G.O.; Toro-Restrepo, B.; Dias, L.G.; Pinheiro, P.F.; Aguiar, R.W.S.; et al. Developmental Consequences of Early-Life Exposure and Adulticidal Effects of Siparuna Species Essential Oils in Aedes aegypti. Molecules 2026, 31, 2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31122098

AMA Style

Montaño-Campaz ML, Mantilla Afanador JG, Nascimento TF, Fernandes JS, Novaes MON, Meza JGO, Toro-Restrepo B, Dias LG, Pinheiro PF, Aguiar RWS, et al. Developmental Consequences of Early-Life Exposure and Adulticidal Effects of Siparuna Species Essential Oils in Aedes aegypti. Molecules. 2026; 31(12):2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31122098

Chicago/Turabian Style

Montaño-Campaz, Milton L., Javier G. Mantilla Afanador, Tarciza F. Nascimento, Joshua S. Fernandes, Mathews O. N. Novaes, Juan G. Orrego Meza, Beatriz Toro-Restrepo, Lucimar G. Dias, Patrícia F. Pinheiro, Raimundo W. S. Aguiar, and et al. 2026. "Developmental Consequences of Early-Life Exposure and Adulticidal Effects of Siparuna Species Essential Oils in Aedes aegypti" Molecules 31, no. 12: 2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31122098

APA Style

Montaño-Campaz, M. L., Mantilla Afanador, J. G., Nascimento, T. F., Fernandes, J. S., Novaes, M. O. N., Meza, J. G. O., Toro-Restrepo, B., Dias, L. G., Pinheiro, P. F., Aguiar, R. W. S., & Oliveira, E. E. (2026). Developmental Consequences of Early-Life Exposure and Adulticidal Effects of Siparuna Species Essential Oils in Aedes aegypti. Molecules, 31(12), 2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31122098

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop