Repellent activity of essential oils against culicids: A review

The use of plants with repellent properties has been evidenced as an important tool in the biocontrol of Culicidae that threaten public health. Studies on the main genera used for the biological control of these vectors were systematically reviewed including articles published from 2000 to 2019. Specialized databases such as Web of Science, Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus BioMed, Bioline, Doaj and Scielo and the descriptors volatile oils, culicidae, arthropod vectors and medicinal plants were used. In the present study, 121 species distributed across 31 families were identified, with Lamiaceae, Myrtaceae and Verbenaceae possessing the largest number of species. For EO extraction virtually all plant parts were found to be used, including seeds, roots, rhizomes, stems, leaves, bracts, fruits, bark and inflorescences, these being mainly extract by hydrodistillation and steam distillation extraction. Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was the main analytical technique used to identify the EO constituents. It is necessary to take into account the importance of developing alternative products which do not harm nature or the human species, nor any of the properties and uses these vegetables possess, which are essential for biological control. •The EOs obtained by distillation methods are mainly composed of phenylpropanoids and terpenoids.•Sesquiterpenes are an active group in terms of repelling mosquitoes and other arthropods.•The repellent activity of EOs provides an innovative and interesting option for Culicidae control.