Chemical composition and repellent activity of nine medicinal essential oils against Anopheles stephensi, the main malaria vector

Adult mosquitoes are the main transmitter for vector-borne diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, and encephalitis. In such diseases, vector control is more accessible and logical than treatment. The use of mosquito repellent is one prevention strategy, especially in endemic areas, to minimize contact with mosquitoes. Essential oils (EO)s based repellents receive more attention as an alternative to chemicals, e.g., N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET); they are suspected of causing toxicity. In this research, ingredients of nine medicinally important EOs, including clove, dill, eucalyptus, lemon, myrtle, orange, peppermint, tarragon, and zingiber, were identified using GC-MS analysis. Their repellent activities at a concentration of 0.5% (v/v) were investigated using the Klun & Debboun method against the primary malaria vector, i.e., Anopheles stephensi. The observed protection times for the EOs were in the range of 1–63 min. The highest protection time (63 min) was achieved by applying Clove EO (Syzygium aromaticum). It is noted that eugenol’s repellent activity as the major component of clove EO had no significant difference with the total EO. Due to the low price and naturality, the use of EO is preferred over eugenol. In conclusion, Clove EO could be introduced as an excellent candidate for the preparation of green nano/formulation with the repellent effect.