Assessment of Toxicity, Antifeedant Activity, and Biochemical Responses in Stored-Grain Insects Exposed to Lethal and Sublethal Doses of Gaultheria procumbens L. Essential Oil

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to investigate the insecticidal activity of chemically characterized Gaultheria procumbens essential oil (EO) and its mode of action against the Coleopteran insects Sitophilus oryzae and Rhyzopertha dominica. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results depicted methyl salicylate (MS) as the major compound (96.61%) of EO. EO and its major compound methyl salicylate (MS) showed 100% mortality at 150 and 5.0 μL/L air against S. oryzae and R. dominica, respectively, on 24 h of exposure. The in vivo percent inhibition of AChE activity ranged between 6.12 and 27.50%. In addition, changes in the antioxidative defense system, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), in test insects were estimated. A significant dose-dependent response in all test parameters was observed. The results demonstrated that G. procumbens EO could play a significant role in the formulation of EO-based insecticides for the management of stored-grain insects.

Keywords: Gaultheria procumbens; acetylcholinesterase; antioxidant defense system; essential oil; plant-based insecticide.