Insecticidal Activity of Essential Oil of Syzygium Aromaticum Flower in Drosophila

A comprehensive investigation regarding insecticides' mechanism of action on agriculture- and medically-important insects is an important issue to consider. This study aimed to investigate the insecticidal activity of essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum flower (EOSF) using Drosophila melanogaster as an in vivo insect model platform. EOSF was used as a proof-of-concept natural product since it has been reported to exert insecticide activity on certain harmful insects. EOSF was prepared by the water distillation method, and the essential oil is then used to identify its effects on the mortality rate and the locomotor activity of Drosophila. Our results demonstrated that both males and females of D. melanogaster were succumbed immediately, in a dose-response manner, upon EOSF exposure. A slight discrepancy was evident in the effect of EOSF on the mortality rate of males compared to their females' counterparts, thus delineating the possible sex-dependent effect of EOSF on D. melanogaster. Further, decreased locomotor activity was observed on both male and female Drosophila upon EOSF exposure. Overall, it was concluded that EOSF (10 μl, 100 μl, and 1000 μl concentrations) produced insecticidal activity in D. melanogaster.