Molluscicidal activity of Piper anisum (Spreg.) Angely Essential Oil and of its 1-butyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene Major Compound

Abstract Schistosomiasis is a historically endemic disease in Brazil, which is caused by the trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni hosted by the worm Biomphalaria glabrata snails. The searching for new environmental non-toxic active agents for B. glabrata control is emerging. Natural products as alternative drug lead can be justified by its low toxicity and environmental sustainability. In this work, Piper anisum essential oil (EO) and its major compound were investigated for molluscicidal activity against snails of the species B. glabrata , taking into account the seasonal variation of EO. Leaves of P. anisum were collected in different seasons and the EO was obtained by hydrodistillation. Chemical analysis of the EO by Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled to Mass Spectrometer (MS) and GC coupled to Flame Ionization Detector (FID) allowed identification and quantification of the EO compounds, respectively. The EO major compound 1-butyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene (BMDB) was also isolated from leaf n -hexane extract. The molluscicidal activity was determined by exposing snails to increasing concentrations of the EO and BMDB, and the lethal concentration (LC 50 ) was calculated. The chemical composition of the EO varied between seasons, with higher percentage (> 99%) of BMDB observed in the summer.The results showed molluscicidal activity against B. glabrata , of all EO samples at 100 µg/mL. The LC 50 was determined as 35 ppm for BMDB suggesting this compound as an alternative source of biocontrol agent against B. glabrata .