Influence of Polysorbate 80 on the Larvicidal and Ecotoxicological Profile of Dizygostemon riparius Essential Oil Nanoemulsion: Insights into Green Nanotechnology

Abstract

Essential oil (EO) nanoformulations are emerging as green nanotechnology strategies against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which are vectors of arboviruses such as dengue. For the first time, we investigated the larvicidal influence of polysorbate (PS80) against A. albopictus mosquito using simplex centroid design (SCD) in the formulation of EODr nanoemulsions derived from the species Dizygostemon riparius (Plantaginaceae), a plant native to the Cerrado region of Maranhão, Brazil. In addition, we present the ecotoxicological profile of the formulation against A. salina microcrustaceans. EODr was extracted by hydrodistillation, and its chemical profile was analyzed by GC-MS-FID and NMR (1H,13C, DEPT-135, and 2D). The nanoformulations were characterized by DLS, PDI, ZP, and TEM. The chemical profile indicated the presence of compounds such as fenchol, fenchyl acetate, caryophyllene, and caryophyllene oxide. The SCD contributed to the development of nanostructured formulations with spheroidal morphology, demonstrating effective larvicidal action against A. albopictus mosquitoes with lower toxicity than commercial chemical larvicides.