Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial and Insecticidal Activities of Essential Oils of Discarded Perfume Lemon and Leaves (Citrus Limon (L.) Burm. F.) as Possible Sources of Functional Botanical Agents

  • Front Chem. 2021 May 24:9:679116. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2021.679116.
Panpan Wu  1  2 ,  Xiaowen Tang  1  2 ,  Rongchao Jian  1  2 ,  Jiahao Li  1  2 ,  Maoyu Lin  1  2 ,  Huachao Dai  1  2 ,  Kangpeng Wang  1  2 ,  Zhaojun Sheng  1  2 ,  Baizhong Chen  3 ,  Xuetao Xu  1  2 ,  Chen Li  1  2 ,  Zhongze Lin  1  2 ,  Qingmin Zhang  1  2 ,  Xi Zheng  1  2 ,  Kun Zhang  1  2 ,  Dongli Li  1  2 ,  Weiqian David Hong  1  2  4
Affiliations
  • 1. School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China.
  • 2. International Healthcare Innovation Institute (Jiangmen), Jiangmen, China.
  • 3. Guangdong Xinbaotang Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Jiangmen, China.
  • 4. Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
PMID: 34109157 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.679116
Abstract

Two essential oils were isolated from discarded perfume lemon and leaves (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. F.) by hydro-distillation with good yield (0.044% for perfume lemon and 0.338% for leaves). Their biological activities were evaluated against five selected Bacterial strains and Aedes albopictus (Ae. albopictus, Diptera: Culicidae). Chemical composition indicated that both essential oils were rich in essential phytochemicals including hydrocarbons, monoterpenes and sesquiterpene. These constituents revealed some variability among the oils displaying interesting chemotypes (R)-(+)-limonene (12.29-49.63%), citronellal (5.37-78.70%) and citronellol (2.98-7.18%). The biological assessments proved that the two essential oils had similar effect against Bacterial (inhibition zones diameter ranging from 7.27 ± 0.06 to 10.37 ± 0.15 mm; MICs and MBCs ranging from 1.6 to 6.4 mg/mL); against Ae. albopictus larvae (LC50 ranging from 384.81 to 395.09 ppm) and adult mosquito (LD50 ranging from 133.059 to 218.962 μg/cm2); the activity of the two chemotypes ((R)-(+)-limonene and citronellal): larvae (LC50 ranging from 267.08 to 295.28 ppm), which were all presented in dose-dependent manners. Through this work, we have showcased that recycling and reusing of agriculture by-products, such as discarded perfume lemon and leaves can produce eco-friendly alternatives in Bacterial disinfectants and mosquito control product.

Keywords
antimicrobial; chemical composition; essential oil; insecticidal; leaves; perfume lemon.
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