TITLE:
Identification of Extracts Responsible for the Effect of Tick Reppeling Activity of Turmeric
AUTHORS:
Wattevidanage J. Perera, Prasad Senadeera, Parthirage P. D. C. Perera, Derrick R. Kulatunge
KEYWORDS:
Curcumin, Modified Olfactometer, Fractionated Curcuma longa L., Sequential, Therapeutic
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.12 No.1,
January
13,
2022
ABSTRACT: Turmeric
(Curcuma longa L.) is one
of the essential condiments all over the world. Turmeric is an important
medicine in the eastern medical systems and its therapeutic properties have
been well recorded. Curcumin, commonly called diferuloyl methane (hydrophobic
polyphenol), was studied extensively for its biological properties. Sri Lankan
turmeric records relatively higher percentage (up to 9%) of curcumin. The
bioactive compounds with insecticidal or pesticidal activity were studied from the Sri Lankan turmeric as there is an increasing demand
for natural products to control ticks and fleas in dogs against the chemicals
that induce some secondary effects. Fifty grams (50 g) of dried coarsely ground
turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) was
subjected to sequential extractions with four different solvents in ascending
order of polarity using Soxhlet apparatus. The treatments consisted of solvent-fractionated turmeric extracts from hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2),
ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and Methanol (CH3OH) dissolved in the water to
100 ppm. The test carried out using a modified olfactometer and the degree of
repellency of common tick species Rhipicephalus sanguineus was recorded. The hexane extract from dried
turmeric powder showed the highest repellence of 80% whereas other fractions
showed lesser repellence. Further studies in the direction of purification,
dose dependent repellency and persistency.