{
  "abstract": "Botanical repellents provide a traditional means of personal protection, yet optimizing their formulations is increasingly required to address shifting mosquito feeding behaviors and mitigate disease transmission. The current study aimed to evaluate the repellent efficacy of essential oils and their binary combinations as complex matrices against Anopheles arabiensis bites, the major malaria vector in Ethiopia. Essential oils were extracted from fresh parts of four ethnobotanically investigated medicinal plants in the Ghibe Valley, Ethiopia, namely Croton macrostachyus, Echinops kebericho, Eucalyptus globulus, and Juniperus procera using hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of the essential oils was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Arm-in-cage bioassays using laboratory-reared mosquitoes and human volunteers determined the effective dosage and complete protection time of the essential oils at 10% and 20% concentrations. A total of 131 chemical constituents were identified across the four analyzed essential oils. The C. macrostachyus leaf and seed oils provided a significantly longer protection time (p < 0.001), reaching 180 minutes with a mean percentage repellency of 85% to 100%. The essential oil of J. procera blended with C. macrostachyus or E. kebericho exhibited significant synergistic repellency (p < 0.001). The protection duration demonstrating by C. macrostachyus oil underscores their potential to meet the regulatory performance standards for natural insect repellents. Future investigations should include larger sample sizes, dermal toxicity assessments and field validation to fully support the commercialization of these essential oils.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Biology, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia",
    "Aklilu Lemma Institute of Health Research, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia",
    "Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zeyede Teshome"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Abebe Animut"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Belete Adefris Legesse"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mirutse Giday"
    },
    {
      "name": "Esayas Aklilu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7gvbekhadft9f.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358040",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "7gvbekhadft9f",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358040",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Insect Pest Control Strategies"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Agronomy/Plant products/Essential oils"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Crop science/Plant products/Essential oils"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Medicinal plants"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant anatomy/Leaves"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Species interactions/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Entomology/Insects/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/Africa/Ethiopia"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Analytical chemistry/Mass spectrometry/Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical composition"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical compounds/Organic compounds/Naphthalenes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Organic chemistry/Organic compounds/Naphthalenes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Chromatographic techniques/Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Spectrum analysis techniques/Mass spectrometry/Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213292736",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0358040&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7gvbekhadft9f.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358040",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358040"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:plant science",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:zoology",
      "subfield": "zoology-behaviour"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:infectious diseases",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Repellency and chemical composition of essential oils from four medicinal plants against Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) under laboratory conditions",
  "title_text": "Repellency and chemical composition of essential oils from four medicinal plants against Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) under laboratory conditions",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7gvbekhadft9f",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}