ANTIOXIDANT AND LARVICIDAL ACTIVITIES OF Pistacia lentiscus FRUIT ESSENTIAL OIL

Authors: Khedidja AMIRA, Nour El-Houda DJEGHADER
Journal: Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (JAPS)
ISSN: 1018-7081 (Print), 2309-8694 (Online)
Volume: 36  Issue: 2  Pages: 597-604
Year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.2.0049
URL: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.2.0049
Publisher: Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum

Abstract:
<p><em><span lang="FR">Pistacia lentiscus&nbsp;</span></em><em><span lang="FR">or mastic tree</span></em><span lang="FR">, a medicinal plant&nbsp;<strong>from</strong>&nbsp;Anacardiaceae family, is widely used in Algerian traditional medicine for its therapeutic properties. This study aimed to extract essential oil (EO) from its dried fruits by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus and determine its yield of extraction. The antioxidant activity of the EO was evaluated using the&nbsp;</span>2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl<span lang="FR">(DPPH) method, with ascorbic acid (AA) as a positive control, at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 &micro;g/ml. In addition, its insecticidal activity was tested against third and fourth instar larvae of&nbsp;<em>Culex pipiens</em>&nbsp;at concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 25 &micro;l/ml. The EO yield was 0.4%, consistent with values reported in previous studies. Antioxidant tests showed significant radical scavenging activity, with inhibition ranging from 45.91 to 68.46% compared with 49.52 to 73.31% for AA, and Inhibition concentration IC</span><span lang="FR">₅₀</span><span lang="FR">&nbsp;values were 0.62 &micro;g/ml and 0.12 &micro;g/ml for the two samples respectively. Larvicidal assays revealed concentration-dependent mortality, meaning that higher concentrations caused higher mortality in both larval stages, with lethal concentrations LC</span><span lang="FR">₅₀</span><span lang="FR">&nbsp;and LC</span><span lang="FR">₉₀</span><span lang="FR">&nbsp;values estimated at 10 and 27 &micro;l/ml for third instar larvae; 17 and 32 &micro;l/ml for fourth instar larvae, respectively. These findings demonstrated that&nbsp;<em>P. lentiscus</em>&nbsp;fruit EO possesses promising antioxidant and larvicidal properties, suggesting its potential applications in natural pest control and health-related fields.</span></p>

Keywords: Pistacia lentiscus, essential oil, hydrodistillation, antioxidant activity, larvicidal activity.