Methyl dihydrojasmonate and lilial are the constituents with an "off-label" insect repellence in perfumes

PLoS One. 2018 Jun 19;13(6):e0199386. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199386. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Insect repellents are widely used to fend off nuisance mosquitoes and, more importantly, to reduce or eliminate mosquito bites in areas where viruses and other vector-borne diseases are circulating. Synthesized more than six decades ago, DEET is the most widely used insect repellent. Plant-derived compounds are used in a plethora of commercial formulations and natural recipes to repel mosquitoes. They are also used as fragrances. We analysed Bombshell® to identify the constituent(s) eliciting a previously reported "off- label" repellence activity. The two major fragrance ingredients in Bombshell, i.e., methyl dihydrojasmonate and lilial, demonstrated strong repellence against the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, in laboratory assays. Both compounds activated a previously identified DEET-sensitive odorant receptor, CquiOR136. These compounds were also major constituents of Ivanka Trump eau de parfum. The methyl dihydrojasmonate content was higher in the Ivanka Trump perfume than in Bombshell, the reverse being true for lilial. Both Bombshell and Ivanka Trump eaux de parfums retained activity for as long as 6 hours in laboratory assays. Although wearing these perfumes may repel nuisance mosquitoes, their use as "off-label" repellents against infected mosquitoes is not recommended.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aldehydes / chemistry
  • Aldehydes / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Culicidae / drug effects*
  • Cyclopentanes / chemistry
  • Cyclopentanes / pharmacology*
  • DEET / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Insect Bites and Stings / prevention & control
  • Insect Repellents / chemistry
  • Insect Repellents / pharmacology*
  • Odorants / analysis

Substances

  • Aldehydes
  • Cyclopentanes
  • Insect Repellents
  • DEET
  • methyldihydrojasmonate
  • lilial

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work. However, F.Z. was supported by a student fellowship from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and Huazhong Agricultural University. CSC had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.