Unveiling the Larvicidal Potential of Golpar (Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisch.) Essential Oil and Its Main Constituents on Aedes and Anopheles Mosquito Vectors

Natural products are thoroughly studied as valuable alternatives to synthetic insecticides. <i>Heracleum persicum</i> Desf. ex Fisch. (Apiaceae), commonly known as Golpar, is an Iranian medicinal plant largely employed as a spice, which has previously revealed insecticidal potential. The chemical composition of <i>H. persicum</i> essential oil (EO) was investigated by GC-MS and was mainly dominated by hexyl butyrate (36.1%) and octyl acetate (23.7%). The EO and its main esters were tested on three mosquito species. <i>Aedes aegypti</i> (L.) larvae were the most sensitive to all tested products. Lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) of 59.09, 53.59, and 47.05 ppm were recorded for the EO, hexyl butyrate, and octyl acetate, respectively. <i>Aedes albopictus</i> (Skuse) and <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> Giles demonstrated comparable sensitivity to the EO, with LC₅₀ values of 102.97 and 97.91 ppm, respectively, whereas the isolated constituents appeared more active on <i>An. gambiae</i> (LC₅₀ of hexyl butyrate and octyl acetate of 70.97 and 60.71 ppm, respectively) with respect to <i>Ae. albopictus</i> (LC₅₀ of hexyl butyrate and octyl acetate of 85.40 and 91.38 ppm, respectively). Low toxicity was registered for both EO and single components against human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. Overall, the <i>H. persicum</i> EO, hexyl butyrate, and octyl acetate could be further considered for larvicide development.