Essential oil of Tagetes filifolia against the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum and its relation to acetylcholinesterase activity and lipid peroxidation

Abstract

The development of natural insecticides would help to decrease the negativeimpact of synthetic insecticides. Fumigant toxicity of essential oil of Tagetesfilifolia Lag (Asterales: Asteraceae) and its major compounds were evaluatedagainst Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Theessential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography?mass spectrometry. Theessential oil and (E)-anethole were the most toxic at 24 h against adult insects(CL50= 2.4 y 2.6 ìL/mL water, respectively). Changes in the products of lipidperoxidation were evidenced by an increase in malondialdehyde content.Acetylcholinesterase activity in vitro, of T. castaneum adults, was also reported.(E)-anethole and estragole showed similar acetylcholinesterase inhibition (54and 63%, respectively at 5 mM). The present study constitutes one of the firstcontributions to understanding the relationship between the insecticidal actionof essential oil and oxidative stress.