Artemisia annua L. volatile oil obtained by pressurized CO2 extraction: potential application in cosmetics with insect-repellent properties

Abstract

The human arbovirus Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue and Yellow Fever are among the major public health problems in the world. Dengue is the most important among them, since it is caused by a Flavivirus with four different serotypes and can cause death. Arbovirus are transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, with Aedes aegypti being their main vector. The control of the vector by means of synthetic insecticides is the main measure of control that is being used, but, although effective, these compounds present serious problems related to its use as environmental damages, toxicity for human use and risk of developing resistance in larvae and adults of A. aegypti. The search for natural repellent compounds and / or mixtures has grown exponentially in recent years in order to therapy these problems. Artemisia annua L., a plant species naturally occurring in China and Vietnam, have been widely used in the treatment of malaria. Among the secondary metabolites isolated from Artemisia species, the most characteristic are the sesquiterpene lactones, and artemisinin (quinghaosu) (1.2% m/m), which shows effectiveness in the treatment of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. The species is the only economically viable source of this molecule. In Brazil, the cultivation of A. annua was adapted to the climatic conditions in southeastern Brazil by The Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Pluridisciplinary Research Center (CPQBA-Unicamp). In the production process of this important anti-malarial is generated a significant extracting waste with high pharmacological activity such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, repelent and antioxidant properties that is obtained by technologies involving supercritical fluids, using as solvents harmless substances to the environment and human health, such as CO2, leading to obtaining extracts with different chemical composition, smoother and effective for use in cosmetics. The extracts will be standardized and validated using Spectrometry Mass. Will be apply the volatile oil of Artemisia annua L., a residue obtained by supercritical extraction and nano-encapsulated in repellent cosmetic formulations tested according to the standardization recommended by RDC 19/13. By this project, the S Cosméticos do Bem seeks to innovate by developing a new sustainable cosmetic product with repellent properties, efficacy and safety proven, highly competitive and has great economic potential, both in domestic and international markets. (AU)