ARS | Publication request: Identification of Compounds from Etonia Rosemary (Conradina etonia).

Submitted to: Journal of Chromatography
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: May 16, 2007
Publication Date: May 25, 2007
Citation: Quinn, B.P., Bernier, U.R., Booth, M.M. 2007. Identification of Compounds from Etonia Rosemary (Conradina etonia). Journal of Chromatography. 1160(2007)306-310

Interpretive Summary: Mosquito repellents are from either a man-made source or taken from our natural environment. Chemical prospecting for new plant compounds is common practice for pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies looking for new products. This approach also applies for discovering new repellent and insecticidal compounds. Many essential oils and components from the mint family are used in culinary herbs, cleaning products, and insect repellents. Etonia rosemary (Conradina etonia) is a federally endangered plant from the mint family which is wholly found in one population near Florahome, FL, USA. Recent research by scientists at the USDA-ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, FL used chemical instrumentation to identify many compounds in Etonia rosemary that might have insect repellent properties. Discovery of new botanical repellents could help deter mosquitoes that transmit malaria, yellow fever, and West Nile Virus. The primary users of this technology would be the military and the general population.

Technical Abstract: Mosquitoes carry many diseases that are harmful or fatal to humans, livestock, and wildlife. Great measures are being taken to provide protection for humans from mosquitoes and other biting flies, and topical repellents are a common way to deter host-seeking arthropods. This study sought to discover new compounds from Etonia rosemary (Conradina etonia) as candidate insect repellents. Etonia rosemary was passively extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol and analyzed by GC/MS. Volatile compounds were also assessed using micro-purge and trap/MS. Many terpenes and terpenic alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes were identified in the solvent extracts. Terpenes and short-chained aldehydes were the most prevalent in the volatile analysis.