Chemical Composition and Larvicidal Effects of Essential Oil from Bauhinia acuruana (Moric) against Aedes aegypti

The essential oil from leaves of Bauhinia acuruana Moric was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In total, thirty compounds comprising 91.4% of the total peak area were identified. The main constituents of the essential oil were the sesquiteipenes spathulenol (23.4 +/- 0.08%), epi-alpha-cadinol (20.7 +/- 0.12%) and caryophyllene oxide (16.4 +/- 0.04%). The essential oil was tested against Aedes aegypti larvae and showed LC(50) of 56.2 +/- 0.4 mu g/mL.