Challenges encountered by natural repellents: Since obtaining until the final product

Abstract

Vector-borne diseases, particularly the arboviruses dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, have been driving the use of repellents worldwide. The most representative synthetic repellent, DEET stands out as the market's oldest and most efficient repellent. It is considered a reference standard but presents considerable toxicity, not recommended for children up to 6 months old and pregnant women. For this reason, alternatives have been sought, and natural repellents derived mainly from essential oils have been studied, highlighting the essential oils of lemon (Corymbia citriodora), citronella (Cympobogon sp.), Andiroba (Carapa guianensis). However, the development and commercialization of products containing natural repellents are significantly lower when compared to DEET and other synthetic repellents. In order to understand the reasons, aspects related to safety, mechanism of action, efficacy as well development and complexity of the products were evaluated. It is concluded that, as for safety, there is lacking information in the literature regarding the effects on non-target organisms and robust toxicity data. The mechanism of action is based on theories, with less information on the exact mode of action, molecular targets, and interaction with the olfactory and taste receptors of insects. Despite being a current trend to search for actives from natural sources highly present in essential oils, however they reduced action time because due to rapid evaporation after application to the skin, thus requiring repellent vehicles. The development and complexity related to these products bring challenging aspects, beginning on the plant cultivation and extraction processes to produce essential oils with a more homogeneous chemical composition towards the formulation stabilization processes due to fast evaporation and short action time, with the use of pharmaceutical technology such as encapsulation techniques.

Keywords: Arboviruses; Commercialization; Essential oils; Natural products; Natural repellent; Synthetic repellent.