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

Panpan Wu; Xiaowen Tang; Rongchao Jian; Jiahao Li; Maoyu Lin; Huachao Dai; Kangpeng Wang; Zhaojun Sheng; Baizhong Chen; Xuetao Xu; Chen Li; Zhongze Lin; Qingmin Zhang; Xi Zheng; Kun Zhang; Dongli Li; Weiqian David Hong

doi:10.3389/fchem.2021.679116

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. eCollection 2021.

Authors

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 Chen³, 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.

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.