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Pimpinella anisum essential oil nanoemulsions against Tribolium castaneum—insecticidal activity and mode of action

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Abstract

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is an economically important pest of stored products. As possible alternative to conventional insecticides for its management, plant essential oils have gained interest owing to their effectiveness and eco-friendly features. However, they also show some drawbacks, such as low stability, poor water solubility and diffusion, and limited persistence in the environment. A good strategy to overcome these disadvantages is represented by green nanotechnologies. Herein, we developed a nanoemulsion based on the essential oil from Pimpinella anisum L. (Apiaceae) containing 81.2% of (E)-anethole and evaluated its toxicity on T. castaneum adults and F1 progeny, as well as its morphological and histological impact. The aniseed oil nanoemulsion was characterized by the formation of a semi-solid interphase between oil and water; mean drop size was 198.9 nm, PDI was 0.303, zeta potential was − 25.4 ± 4.47 mV, and conductivity was 0.029 mS/cm. The nanoemulsion showed toxicity on T. castaneum (LC50 = 9.3% v/v), with a significant impact on its progeny. Morphological and histological damages triggered by feeding and exposure to the aniseed nanoemulsion were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy. Overall, our findings showed that the development of nanoemulsions allows to improve the stability of P. anisum essential oil enhancing its efficacy against stored grain pests and contributing to reduce the use of harmful synthetic insecticides.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Protection Research Institute, Sakha, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

    Ahmed S. Hashem & Gamal M. Zayed

  2. Economic Entomology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Samir S. Awadalla

  3. School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, via Sant’Agostino 1, 62032, Camerino, Italy

    Filippo Maggi

  4. Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Giovanni Benelli

  5. The BioRobotics Institute, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy

    Giovanni Benelli

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  1. Ahmed S. Hashem
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  2. Samir S. Awadalla
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  3. Gamal M. Zayed
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  4. Filippo Maggi
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  5. Giovanni Benelli
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Correspondence to Giovanni Benelli.

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Hashem, A.S., Awadalla, S.S., Zayed, G.M. et al. Pimpinella anisum essential oil nanoemulsions against Tribolium castaneum—insecticidal activity and mode of action. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 18802–18812 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2068-1

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