~ 111 ~ International Journal of Mosquito Research 2024; 11(1): 111-117 ISSN: 2348-5906 CODEN: IJMRK2 IJMR 2024; 11(1): 111-117 © 2024 IJMR https://www.dipterajournal.com Received: 09-11-2023 Accepted: 14-12-2023 Amit Kumar Verma Faculty, Department of Pharmacy, MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly & Post Doctoral Researcher, Manipur International University, Imphal, Manipur, India Preeti Mishra Faculty, Raja Balwant Singh Engineering Technical Campus, Bichpuri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India Harikumar Pallathadka Faculty, Manipur International University, Imphal, Manipur, India Grihalaxmi N Faculty, Manipur International University, Imphal, Manipur, India Surabhi Shakya Department of Pharmacy, MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India Corresponding Author: Amit Kumar Verma Faculty, Department of Pharmacy, MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly & Post Doctoral Researcher, Manipur International University, Imphal, Manipur, India Evaluation of mosquito repellency activity using mosquito cage method Amit Kumar Verma, Preeti Mishra, Harikumar Pallathadka, Grihalaxmi N and Surabhi Shakya DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/23487941.2024.v11.i1b.751 Abstract Essential oils are the well-known ingredients for their repellency activity. But the essential oils have the volatile constituents which vaporize due to course of time. The approach for encapsulation of essential oils in the micro-range provides the controlled release for the oils and gave the activity for longer duration of time. In the present study, Lavender and ylang-ylang oil encapsulated by the polymer ethyl- cellulose in the micron range and further incorporated in the carbopol gel. The FTIR data of lavender and ylang-ylang oils showed the peak at 1735.5 cm -1 and 1749 cm -1 respectively for the presence of C=O group. The prepared gel evaluated for its mosquito repellency activity, the gel showed the repellency of about 85% and was safe for the application. The MTT assay on the cell line indicates the IC50 value was 724.9±0.162 μg/ml. GC-MS confirms the linalool as its main constituent. Keywords: Mosquito repellency, essential oil, lavender oil, ylang-ylang oil, GC-MS Introduction The most significant insects for public health are mosquitoes, as they can spread a variety of diseases as Japanese encephalitis, dengue, and Chikungunya, malaria, filariasis, and encephalitis, which together account for millions of fatalities annually. Mosquitoes are members of the Culicidae family of (Verma et al. 2023) [10] Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Cx. quinquefasciatus) are the primary urban vectors of Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya, dengue fever, and dengue hemorrhagic fever. Additionally, allergic reactions from mosquito bites can result in systemic reactions including urticarial and localized cutaneous reactions. One way to avoid mosquito bites is to wear protective gear or using the mosquito repellent formulations. The formulations based on essential oils are also showing effective results in terms of repellency (Sritabutra et al., 2013) [14] . Mosquitoes are mainly invertebrates. About 3000 of mosquito’s species transmit disease when compared to other creatures in the world. Both female and male mosquitoes feed on the same kind of food. However, the female mosquitoes are only responsible for the transmission of the pathogens (Mishra et al., 2023) [7] . Many cultures have been using essential oils for medical and therapeutic purposes for thousands of years. Concentrated hydrophobic liquid with volatile substances that readily evaporate at room temperatures are the plant-derived chemical compounds. Their antidepressant, stimulating, detoxifying, antiviral, anti-bacterial, repellency power (Mishra P et al., 2023) [8] and relaxing qualities have led to their recent surge in popularity as a safe, natural, and affordable therapy for various health issues. Essential oils (EOs) are fragrant substances that are abundant in oil sacs or oil glands located at varying depths within the fruit peel, primarily in the flavedo portion and cuticles (Harman et al., 2019) [6] . The primary issue that has been resolved by the development of numerous encapsulation techniques is the management of excessive volatility of EOs. By use of a physical or chemical contact with a matrix, encapsulation can hold essential oils longer. Nearly all applications of EOs necessitate longer retention periods and various release schedules (Maes et al., 2019) [2] . Essential oils are volatile substances that quickly evaporate and lose their effectiveness in the presence of even a small amount of heat.