Avaliação da atividade do óleo essencial dos rizomas de Zingiber officinale foi em caramujos de Biomphalaria glabrata

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.94723150820

• Palavras-chave: Esquistossomose, Biomphalaria glabrata, Zingiber officinale.

• Keywords: Schistosomiasis, Biomphalaria glabrata, Zingiber officinale

• Abstract: Schistosomiasis mansoni, popularly known as "water belly," is a disease with significant repercussions on public health and the environment. Currently, the control of the intermediate host (snails of the genus Biomphalaria) has been carried out using synthetic and toxic substances, such as the commercial substance Bayluscide. The search for products derived from plants (whether oils or extracts) with molluscicidal activity has been gaining more and more attention in research. In this study, the objective was to evaluate the molluscicidal potential of the essential oil of Zingiber officinale against the intermediate host of schistosomiasis. The essential oil from the rhizomes of Zingiber officinale was extracted by hydrodistillation for 4 hours using a Clevenger system. The snails used in the test were of the species Biomphalaria glabrata, collected monthly from the outskirts of São Luís - MA. The manual technique was applied, using appropriate tweezers and metal shells. Subsequently, these snails were transported to the Basic and Applied Immunology Core - UFMA, where they were kept in aquariums and glass containers with dechlorinated water and fed with lettuce. The evaluation of the molluscicidal activity of this oil was carried out according to the techniques recommended by WHO (1965), which strictly recommends the use of three groups of ten snails for each concentration (evaluating four concentrations: 100, 75, 50, and 25 ppm) of the molluscicidal agent to be tested. The control group used dechlorinated water and a solution with the surfactant Tween 80. The essential oil of this plant, at a concentration of 100 ppm, showed a 100% molluscicidal effect with retraction of the cephalopedal mass and release of hemolymph. Similarly, 100% mortality was observed in snails at concentrations of 75, 50, and 25 ppm, presenting only retraction of the cephalopedal mass without the release of hemolymph. It is inferred, therefore, that the essential oil of Z. officinale rhizomes presents molluscicidal activity, and toxicological tests will be necessary to verify the reaction of other organisms, as molluscicidal compounds should not affect the fauna, such as fish, thus avoiding problems in the use of these compounds in areas where fishing becomes an important source of income and food for the population.