Antimicrobial and Larvicidal Activities of Different Ocimum Essential Oils Extracted by Ultrasound-Assisted Hydrodistillation

Infectious diseases and their vectors have remained a concern for human population from their historical origin. Microbial pathogens have also emerged as a potent threat to the healthcare systems even in developed countries. Essential oils remain a less explored method for infectious disease control; besides, the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of essential oil production has emerged as promising source of bioactive volatiles over conventional methods. This study analyzed the possible use of UAE- Essential oils (EOs) from different species of Ocimum plants (Ocimum basilicum (OB), O. gratissimum (OG), O. tenuiflorum (OT), and O. canum (OC)) in the management of microbial pathogens and mosquito larval control. The antibacterial activity was estimated in terms of a disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentrations against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enteritidis. The larvicidal property was found using three important mosquito vectors and the LC50 value was determined. Furthermore, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties were estimated in terms of radical scavenging activities and the inhibition of lipoxygenase enzyme activity. The EOs exhibited significant DPPH radical scavenging (high in OG), hydrogen-peroxide scavenging (OB) and lipoxygenase inhibition (OB). The antibacterial activity was high in OB and OG (p < 0.05) and the larvicidal activity was of higher sensitivity against Aedis and Culex, whereas Armigeres was more resistant. However, no sign of toxicity in the Allium cepa model or non-targeted organism Guppy fishes was observed. Overall, the UAE extracted Ocimum essential oils were found to be effective against various human pathogenic microbial organisms, with OB and OG being highly active. Likewise, the EOs was also able to induce mortality in the larval forms of various mosquito vectors.