Larvicidal Effects and Phytochemical Analysis of Myrrh, Commiphora myrrh Chloroform, Methanol, and Acetone Extracts Against Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae)

Mashlawi, Abadi M.; Bosly, Hanan; Alshammari, Amal Naif; Alanazi, Naimah Asid H.; Akeel, Mohammed A.; Alhejely, Amani; Alshammari, Fahdah Ayed; Jeraiby, Mohammed Abdullah; Alkenani, Naser Ahmed; Salama, Salama A.

doi:10.3390/ijms26168050

This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.

Open AccessArticle

Larvicidal Effects and Phytochemical Analysis of Myrrh, Commiphora myrrh Chloroform, Methanol, and Acetone Extracts Against Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae)

by

Abadi M. Mashlawi

¹

,

Hanan Bosly

¹,

Amal Naif Alshammari

²,

Naimah Asid H. Alanazi

³

,

Mohammed A. Akeel

⁴

,

Amani Alhejely

²,

Fahdah Ayed Alshammari

^5,*,

Mohammed Abdullah Jeraiby

⁶

,

Naser Ahmed Alkenani

⁷ and

Salama A. Salama

^1,8,9,*

¹

Department of Biology, College of Science, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia

²

Biology Department, Darb University College, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia

³

Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Ha’il, Ha’il 53962, Saudi Arabia

⁴

Human Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia

⁵

Department of Biology, College of Science, Northern Border University, Arar 73241, Saudi Arabia

⁶

Department of Basic Medical Science, College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia

⁷

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia

⁸

Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Damanhur University, Damanhur 22511, Egypt

⁹

Environment and Nature Research Center, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(16), 8050; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26168050 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 29 July 2025 / Revised: 17 August 2025 / Accepted: 19 August 2025 / Published: 20 August 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug Discovery: Natural Products and Compounds)

Download Versions Notes

Abstract

Mosquitoes pose a significant problem worldwide because of the diseases they transmit. Due to its antimicrobial and disinfectant properties, Commiphora myrrha (C. myrrha) has long been a popular choice in traditional medicine. This study aimed to extract C. myrrha using three different solvents—methanol, acetone, and chloroform—to identify their biochemical components and assess their larvicidal activity. The extracts were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and their effects were evaluated against Aedes aegypti. We identified 29, 41, and 19 phytoconstituents in the acetone, methanol, and chloroform extracts, respectively, with most belonging to the sesquiterpene and phenol categories. Larval mortality rates were recorded as follows: chloroform (100%), methanol (90%), and acetone (95%) extracts of C. myrrha at a concentration of 1000 ppm, 24 h post-treatment. After 72 h, the C. myrrha extracts showed effectiveness with LC₅₀ values of 118.33, 127.67, and 142.13 ppm for chloroform, acetone, and methanol, respectively. The chloroform extract was the most effective in reducing the average number of eggs laid per day (234 eggs) compared to the untreated control group (1513 eggs) at 1000 ppm. These findings provide scientific evidence of the larvicidal efficacy of C. myrrha extracts and serve as valuable resources for developing plant-based pharmaceuticals.

Keywords: Commiphora myrrha; Aedes aegypti; resin; larvicidal activity; GC/MS analysis; mosquitoes

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Mashlawi, A.M.; Bosly, H.; Alshammari, A.N.; Alanazi, N.A.H.; Akeel, M.A.; Alhejely, A.; Alshammari, F.A.; Jeraiby, M.A.; Alkenani, N.A.; Salama, S.A. Larvicidal Effects and Phytochemical Analysis of Myrrh, Commiphora myrrh Chloroform, Methanol, and Acetone Extracts Against Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 8050. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26168050

AMA Style

Mashlawi AM, Bosly H, Alshammari AN, Alanazi NAH, Akeel MA, Alhejely A, Alshammari FA, Jeraiby MA, Alkenani NA, Salama SA. Larvicidal Effects and Phytochemical Analysis of Myrrh, Commiphora myrrh Chloroform, Methanol, and Acetone Extracts Against Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae). International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(16):8050. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26168050

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mashlawi, Abadi M., Hanan Bosly, Amal Naif Alshammari, Naimah Asid H. Alanazi, Mohammed A. Akeel, Amani Alhejely, Fahdah Ayed Alshammari, Mohammed Abdullah Jeraiby, Naser Ahmed Alkenani, and Salama A. Salama. 2025. "Larvicidal Effects and Phytochemical Analysis of Myrrh, Commiphora myrrh Chloroform, Methanol, and Acetone Extracts Against Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae)" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26, no. 16: 8050. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26168050

APA Style

Mashlawi, A. M., Bosly, H., Alshammari, A. N., Alanazi, N. A. H., Akeel, M. A., Alhejely, A., Alshammari, F. A., Jeraiby, M. A., Alkenani, N. A., & Salama, S. A. (2025). Larvicidal Effects and Phytochemical Analysis of Myrrh, Commiphora myrrh Chloroform, Methanol, and Acetone Extracts Against Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae). International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(16), 8050. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26168050

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Larvicidal Effects and Phytochemical Analysis of Myrrh, Commiphora myrrh Chloroform, Methanol, and Acetone Extracts Against Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI