The Repellent Potential of Herbal Oils Alone and in Combination in Mouse Behavioral Models (Mus musculus)

Abstract

Abstract Natural repellent products are of interest worldwide due to their low toxicity, rapid degradation, and being friendly to the environment. The current study evaluated the efficiency of herbal oils from fragrant plants as mouse repellents. Orange oil (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), peppermint oil (Mentha × piperita L.), lemongrass oil (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf), ginger oil (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), plai oil (Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.), menthol and their combination were tested in a radial arm maze and light/dark transition test. For the short-term effect (week 0), each of the herbal oils and their combination were effective as mouse repellents, as shown by increased latency times and decreased time spent in arms containing repellents in the radial arm maze. Similarly, mice exposed to each of the herbal oils and their combination in the dark chamber spent more time in the light chamber in the light/dark transition test. Only peppermint oil and menthol failed to maintain their repellent activity in the long-term effect (week 1). Thus, we recommend spraying orange oil, lemongrass oil, ginger oil, plai oil and the combination of all oils every week for effective mouse repellant activity. Keywords: Medicinal plant, Mice, Natural product, Essential oils, Anxiety