A tip about a folk remedy plant used in India and Africa to ward off bugs has led to the discovery of insect-repelling compounds.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have identified
components of Jatropha curcas seed oil that are responsible
for mosquito repellency. Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Natural Products Utilization Research Unit (NPURU) in Oxford, Miss., often find
effective plant-derived compounds to deter insects by gathering plants in the
wild and investigating those used in traditional folk remedies. ARS is USDA's
principal intramural scientific research agency.
After learning that people in India burn J. curcas seed
oil in lamps to keep insects out of their homes and other areas, NPURU chemist
Charles Cantrell extracted smoke from the plant in a laboratory and analyzed
its properties. Free fatty acids and triglycerides were among a number of
active compounds found to be effective at preventing mosquitoes from biting.
Researchers have known for some time that fatty acids repel
insects, but this was the first known report that identified triglycerides as
having mosquito repellent activity, according to Cantrell.
Working closely with colleagues at ARS and the National Center for
Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, Cantrell is
exploring additional promising compounds from other plants. By combining these
or similar compounds from other plants with those in Jatropha species,
scientists might be able to develop a more effective product.
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