Chemical Constituents, Antibacterial and Insecticidal Activity of <i>Artemisia vestita</i> Essential Oil

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the above‐ground parts of Artemisia Vestita. Additionally, the study also aimed to evaluate its insecticidal activity against adult Lasioderma serricorne and its antimicrobial activity against six common pathogenic bacteria. The results of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis showed that the EO of A. vestita contains 21 kinds of components, accounting for 99.72% of its total composition. The primary constituents of the composition were eucalyptol and chrysanthone, accounting for 33.12% and 33.15% of the total, respectively. In addition, 2‐camphanone accounted for 16.92%. Regarding insecticidal efficacy, the experimental results indicated that the essential oil of A. vestita exhibited a significant insecticidal effect against L. serricorne after a treatment duration of 24 h, predominantly in terms of contact activity (LD 50 = 10.321 g/adult) and fumigant activity (LC 50 = 24.307 μg/L air). In the study, the antibacterial activity of the EO of A. vestita was tested against six common pathogens, including the diameter of the ring of inhibition, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, cell membrane integrity test and kill‐time analysis. The test results showed that all six bacteria showed obvious antibacterial ability. Moreover, after treatment with A. vestita EO, the concentration of bacterial liquid was significantly reduced over time, and the EO led to the disruption of bacterial structure, which further led to the release of cellular contents (DNA/RNA, proteins), and ultimately to the death of the bacteria.