Larvicidal activity of clove essential oil

Based on the extraction and analytical study of the essential oil from the flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum L., the larvicidal effect of the oil against third-stage larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito (Linnaeus, 1762) was analyzed. The essential oil was quantitatively extracted by hydrodistillation. The physicochemical properties of the essential oil (density, refractive index, solubility, color, and appearance) were determined. The oil was chemically characterized by quantifying its components and identifying its major component by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The LC50 of the oil and the eugenol standard was calculated, in addition to the 95% confidence limit, using the methods of Reed-Muench (1938) and Pizzi (1950), respectively. The major component of the oil (eugenol) was identified by gas chromatography (GC-MS). The oil exhibited lethal larvicidal activity at a concentration of 120 g/mL. The essential oil obtained an LC50 of 63.36 ( 2.12) g/mL and the eugenol standard 79.39 ( 2.10) g/mL. The results using clove essential oil show promise when used against the Aedes aegypti mosquito.