Activité Antivectorielle de l’huile de de Lavandula angustifolia sur Drosophila melanogaster : Comportement locomoteur et Reproduction, effets in vivo et in silico.

Abstract

Plant-derived essential oils offer a natural and promising alternative to synthetic pesticides for crop protection. In this study, the insecticidal effect of the essential oil (EO) of Lavandula angustifolia was evaluated on Drosophila melanogaster, a model organism widely used in ecotoxicological studies.The EO was applied topically to third-instar larvae (L3) at two doses: LD25 (0.16 µg/larva) and LD50 (0.57 µg/larva). The impact of this treatment was assessed in the exposed generation of adults using behavioral and reproductive parameters. The results revealed marked neurotoxicity, evidenced by a significant impairment of locomotor performance in the negative geotaxis test. Furthermore, the evaluation of reproductive parameters showed a notable reduction in fecundity (number of eggs laid) and fertility (egg hatchability rate), demonstrating the disruptive effect of this essential oil on insect reproduction.To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism, an in silico molecular docking study was performed. The simulations revealed strong binding affinities between the major EO constituents, Limonene and (Z)-β-Farnesene, and key target receptors involved in the insect nervous and reproductive systems (AChE, RDL, and InR).These findings highlight the biopesticidal potential of L. angustifolia essential oil as both a neurotoxic agent and a reproductive disruptor in D. melanogaster.