ABSTRACT
The leaves of Foeniculum vulgare (Umbelliferae) were extracted and the major essential oil composition and immunotoxicity effects were studied. The analyses conducted by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) revealed the essential oils of F. vulgare leaves. The F. vulgare essential oil yield was 0.97%, and GC/MS analysis revealed that its major constituents were methyl clavicol (46.3%), α-phellandrene (18.2%), fenchone (10.6%), (E)-anethole (11.3%), myrcene (3.4%), and α-pinene (2.1%). The essential oil had a significant toxic effect against early fourth-stage larvae of Aedes aegypti L with an LC(50) value of 41.23 ppm and an LC(90) value of 65.24 ppm. Also, methyl clavicol (≥98.0%), α-phellandrene (≥95.0%), fenchone (≥98.0%), (E)-anethole (≥99.0%), myrcene (≥99.0%), and α-pinene (≥99.0%) were tested against the F(21) laboratory strain of A. aegypti. Fenchone (≥98.0%) and (E)-anethole (≥99.0%) have medium activity with an LC(50) value of 73.11 ppm and 102.41 ppm. The above data indicate that major compounds interaction may play a more important role in the toxicity of essential oil.
