Pulegone-rich Cyclotrichium origanifolium (Labill.) Manden. & Scheng. essential oil for management of stored-product pests: insecticidal, repellent and mechanistic insights against Sitophilus oryzae and Rhyzopertha dominica
Journal of Stored Products Research, cilt.119, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 119
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jspr.2026.103200
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Stored Products Research
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Compendex, Zoological Record
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Botanical insecticide, Cholinesterase inhibition, Molecular dynamics simulation, Postharvest pest management, Pulegone, Stored-product pests
- Yozgat Bozok Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Stored-product insect pests cause substantial postharvest losses worldwide, while increasing resistance to conventional fumigants and growing environmental concerns have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives. This study evaluated the insecticidal and repellent activities of pulegone-rich Cyclotrichium origanifolium (Labill.) Manden. & Scheng. essential oil against two major stored-product pests, Sitophilus oryzae and Rhyzopertha dominica, and investigated its possible cholinesterase-related mechanism of action. GC-MS analysis identified 41 compounds representing 96.14% of the total oil, with pulegone (63.27%) as the dominant constituent. Contact toxicity assays revealed pronounced dose- and time-dependent mortality. Rhyzopertha dominica reached 99.9% mortality within 24 h at 22.5% (v/v), whereas S. oryzae reached 99.4% mortality after 72 h. Probit analysis further confirmed the high sensitivity of R. dominica, with LD50 values decreasing from 0.171 to 0.142 μL/insect from 24 to 72 h. Repellency assays demonstrated strong behavioral effects against both species, with maximum repellency values of 80.23% for S. oryzae and 80.00% for R. dominica at 2.5% (v/v). The essential oil inhibited acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, with IC50 values of 200.12 and 407.73 μg/mL, respectively. Molecular docking, MM-GBSA binding free energy calculations, and 200 ns molecular dynamics simulations revealed target-dependent ligand–enzyme interaction profiles, with comparatively lower ligand displacement observed for the pulegone–R. dominica AChE complex. These findings demonstrate complementary insecticidal and repellent activities and provide preliminary biochemical and computational support for the involvement of cholinesterase-related interactions, supporting further evaluation of C. origanifolium essential oil as a botanical component of sustainable stored-product pest management.