Investigation of Essential Oil from Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) Seeds and Selected Terpenes as Repellents Against Adult Female Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) (Diptera: Psychodidae) Sand Flies

Authors: TSKIKOLIA, MAIA - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL); TSAFRAKIDOU, PANAGIOTA - American Farm School; MIAOULIS, MICHAEL - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL); Li, Andrew; CHASKOPOULOU, ALEXANDRA - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL); Gundersen, Dawn

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/2025
Publication Date: 6/6/2025
Citation: Tskikolia, M., Tsafrakidou, P., Miaoulis, M., Li, A.Y., Chaskopoulou, A., Gundersen, D.E. 2025. Investigation of Essential Oil from Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) Seeds and Selected Terpenes as Repellents Against Adult Female Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) (Diptera: Psychodidae) Sand Flies. Insects. 16:599. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16060599.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16060599

Interpretive Summary: The reliance on insecticides to mitigate vector-borne diseases has triggered the development of insecticide resistance in vector populations, threatening the sustainability and operational impact of vector control programs. In addition, the shrinking availability of insecticides as a result of resistance is further exacerbated by removal from the market of insecticides due to environmental concerns, creating an urgent need for new, greener approaches for addressing vector-borne diseases. Plant-derived natural compounds represent a promising group of products with possibly strong repellent and insecticidal properties, which can be utilized in vector control with fewer environmental side effects. In this study we investigated the repellency and insecticidal properties of an essential oil and its components against sand flies (important vectors of Leishmaniasis, a disease that comes 2nd to malaria in terms of parasitic human fatalities globally). We were able to identify promising, new compounds with high repellency and toxicity, that can be used for designing future formulations for controlling sand fly vectors under field conditions.

Technical Abstract: Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by sand flies, poses a significant global health threat. Chemical repellents and insecticides are commonly used for personal protection. However, prolonged use of these synthetic chemicals has led to reduced efficacy, the emergence of resistance, and growing environmental and health concerns, highlighting the need for new repellent compounds from natural sources. In this study we investigated the repellent potential of essential oil (EO) derived from cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum), using a static air chamber against adult female Phlebotomus papatasi. The major EO constituents identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were cumin aldehyde (27.0%), p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al (20.3%), p-mentha-1,3-dien-7-al (15.8%), ß-pinene (11.4%), and '-terpinene (10.8%). The study evaluated the repellency of cumin EO and several of its components (including cumin aldehyde, ß-pinene, and '-terpinene), along with octanol and 1-octen-3-ol. Additionally, established active ingredients with strong repellent/insecticide properties against insects of medical and veterinary importance — transfluthrin (insecticide and a spatial repellent) and N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET, a topical repellent) — were tested for comparative purposes. Cumin EO, cumin aldehyde, and octanol demonstrated strong spatial and contact repellency, maintaining effectiveness for up to 3 h. Cumin aldehyde, cumin EO, and octanol exhibited the strongest spatial repellent effect after 1 h of exposure at concentration levels comparable to transfluthrin. Additionally, transfluthrin caused 43–74% knockdown at 7.86 µg/cm² as early as 15 min post exposure, while cumin EO and cumin aldehyde produced comparable knockdown rates at a tenfold higher concentration after 1 h post exposure. This is the first study to investigate the repellent efficacy of cumin seed EO and cumin aldehyde against sand flies, highlighting their potential as natural, eco-friendly alternatives to conventional repellents.