Insecticidal Potential of Mentha pulegium Essential Oil and Its Main Monoterpenes in Drosophila melanogaster

The control of agricultural insect pests is currently based on synthetic insecticides that raise concerns about health and environmental safety. Given the need for sustainable alternatives, this study investigated the insecticidal potential of Mentha pulegium essential oil and its main components. The oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and characterized by GC-MS. The larvicidal and fumigant toxicity on Drosophila melanogaster was evaluated, in addition to exploring its in vitro and in silico inhibitory effect on the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. Chemical analysis revealed pulegone as the major compound (63.76%), followed by menthone (5.79%). In larvae, pulegone exhibited the highest activity (LC₅₀ = 119.15 µg/mL), showing no significant difference compared to the positive control carvacrol. The essential oil and menthone were significantly less toxic to the larvae. In the fumigant test, the essential oil stood out for its high efficacy, achieving 100% mortality at all concentrations tested. Pulegone led the inhibition of AChE (IC₅₀ = 45.88 µg/mL), supported by molecular docking simulations that showed high affinity and hydrogen bond formation with key residues of the enzyme's active site. The study validates the use of M. pulegium as a promising natural alternative for the control of dipteran pests.