Essential oils from three Algerian medicinal plants (Artemisia campestris, Pulicaria arabica, and Saccocalyx satureioides) as new botanical insecticides?

Medicinal and aromatic plants represent an outstanding source of green active ingredients for a broad range of real-world applications. In the present study, we investigated the insecticidal potential of the essential oils obtained from three medicinal and aromatic plants of economic importance in Algeria, Artemisia campestris, Pulicaria arabica, and Saccocalyx satureioides. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to study the essential oil chemical compositions. The three essential oils were tested against a mosquito vectoring filariasis and arboviruses, i.e., Culex quinquefasciatus, a fly pest acting also as pathogens vector, Musca domestica, and an agricultural moth pest, i.e., Spodoptera littoralis, using WHO and topical application methods, respectively. The essential oil from A. campestris, containing ß-pinene (15.2%), α-pinene (11.2%), myrcene (10.3%), germacrene D (9.0%) (Z)-ß-ocimene (8.1%) and γ-curcumene (6.4%), showed remarkable toxicity against C. quinquefasciatus (LC50 of 45.8 mg L-1) and moderate effects (LD50 of 99.8 µg adult-1) against M. domestica. Those from P. arabica and S. satureioides, containing epi-α-cadinol (23.9%), δ-cadinene (21.1%), α-cadinol (19.8%) and germacrene D-4-ol (8.4%), and thymol (25.6%), α-terpineol (24.6%), borneol (17.4%) and p-cymene (11.4%), respectively, were more active on S. littoralis showing LD50 values of 68.9 and 61.2 µg larva-1, respectively. Based on our results, the essential oil from A. campestris may be further considered a candidate ingredient for developing botanical larvicides.

An ethnobotanical survey of galactogenic plants of the Berhoum District (M'sila, Algeria).

BACKGROUND/AIM: This work aimed an ethnobatanical study on the galactogenic plants used in the Berhoum region (East of M'sila, Algeria) as a part of different studies on the medicinal plants related to M'sila region. METHODS: The fieldwork was undertaken as an ethnobotanical survey involving 76 informants (mean age: 50; 64% women, 36% men). Used the medicinal plants were identified, and the results were analyzed according to literature investigation dealing with ethnobotany. Use value (UV), fidelity level, and informant consensus factor (ICF) were used to analyze the obtained data. RESULTS: A total of 29 plant species belonging to 29 genera and 12 families (mainly, Apiaceae and Fabaceae) have been registered. Fruits and seeds were the most commonly used plant parts (80%). The used plants are mainly prepared as an infusion and decoction (69%). Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (UV = 0.58) were the species most commonly used by local healers. The FIC factors ranging from 0.45 to 0.89 for the six uses categories retained for this study. The ICF (0.65) was registered for the use galactogenic category with 29 species. CONCLUSION: This work showed that the population of the Berhoum District uses various medicinal plants for galactogenic purposes. Furthermore, ethnobotanical analysis will provide data on sustainable use and valorization of this plant heritage for ethnopharmacological and phytochemical studies.