Metabolite profiling of four Tunisian Eucalyptus essential oils and assessment of their insecticidal and antifungal activities

Sana Khedhri; Marwa Khammassi; Sonia Boukhris Bouhachem; Ylenia Pieracci; Yassine Mabrouk; Emine Seçer; Ismail Amri; Guido Flamini; Lamia Hamrouni

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22713

Metabolite profiling of four Tunisian Eucalyptus essential oils and assessment of their insecticidal and antifungal activities

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 22;9(12):e22713. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22713. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Sana Khedhri^{1

2}, Marwa Khammassi¹, Sonia Boukhris Bouhachem³, Ylenia Pieracci⁴, Yassine Mabrouk⁵, Emine Seçer⁶, Ismail Amri^{1

5}, Guido Flamini⁴, Lamia Hamrouni¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Management and Valorization of Forest Resources, National Institute of Researches on Rural Engineering, Water and Forests, P.B. 10, 2080, Ariana, Tunisia.
² Faculty of Science, Bizerte, Zarzouna 7021, Tunisia.
³ INRAT - National Institute of Agronomic Research of Tunisia, Laboratory of Plant Protection, Carthage University, Ariana, Tunisia.
⁴ Dipartimento di Farmacia, via Bonanno 6, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
⁵ Laboratory of Biotechnology and Nuclear Technology, National Center of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sidi Thabet, B.P. 72, 2020, Ariana, Tunisia.
⁶ Nuclear Energy Research Institute, Istanbul Road 30 Km Saray Mah. Atom Cad. No: 27, 06983 Kahramankazan, Ankara, Turkey.

Abstract

Aphids (Aphidoidea) and Fusarium spp. are widely recognized as destructive pests that cause significant damage to crops on a global scale. This study aimed to ascertain the chemical composition of essential oils (EOs) of four Tunisian Eucalyptus species and evaluate their toxicity against common aphids and phytopathogenic fungi. The EOs were obtained via hydrodistillation and subsequently analyzed using GC-MS. The chemical composition analysis revealed the presence of five distinct chemical classes in the EOs: monoterpene hydrocarbons (3.8-16.7 %), oxygenated monoterpenes (5.5-86.0 %), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (0.2-2.2 %), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (4.2-86.7 %), and non-terpene derivatives (0.1-14.1 %).Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) of the Eucalyptus leaf EOs highlighted significant differences among them, leading to the generation of distinct HCA clades representing at least twelve major components. The statistical analysis clearly demonstrated a dose-response relationship, indicating the impact of the tested EOs on the growth of insects and fungal mycelium. The observed effects varied due to the variability in the chemical compositions of the EOs. Notably, among the EOs tested, Eucalyptus lesoufii Maiden exhibited particularly potent effects against the targeted insect and fungal species. This research contributes to the ongoing exploration of natural alternatives to chemical pesticides, providing further insights for potential industrial applications. It underscores the versatility of these EOs and their potential as valuable candidates in strategies for pest and disease management.

Keywords: 1,8-Cineole; Contact toxicity; Essentials oils; antifungal activity; β-eudesmol.