Larvicidal effect of the Citrus limettioides peel essential oil on Aedes aegypti

Citrus limettioides (Rutaceae), popularly known as “sweet lime” or “sweet lemon”, is rich in essential oil. Citrus sp. essential oils present a wide spectrum of biological activities, including insecticidal and larvicidal. In this sense, we aimed to investigate the larvicidal potential of Citrus limettioides peel essential oil on the main urban vector of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika viruses Aedes aegypti. The chemical characterization of the material revealed a monoterpene-rich essential oil (mainly limonene – 48.28% – and linalool – 32.17%). The C. limettioides peel essential oil presented a good larvicidal activity on A. aegypti (LC50 = 18.14 µg mL−1). Moreover, the compounds linalyl acetate and isopropyl tiglate, identified in the investigated essential oil, presented a predicted insecticide activity on A. aegypti. Finally, the safety of the C. limettioides peel essential oil was demonstrated on RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. These results support the idea of using the C. limettioides peel essential oil to the development of an economically viable larvicidal product.