Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "essential oil" Fitoterapia. 2026 Nov 9:107559. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2026.107559. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSafe plant-derived mosquito repellents with multi-functional skin-protective properties are highly desired as alternatives to synthetic repellents. This study systematically evaluated the mosquito-repellent efficacy, electrophysiological responses, and adjunct bacteriostatic and anti-pruritic activities of terpinen-4-ol and γ-terpinene, two core constituents of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) essential oil (TTO). GC-MS analysis verified that the tested TTO batch met international quality specifications, with terpinen-4-ol (35.14%) and γ-terpinene (14.90%) identified as its major volatile components. In Y-tube olfactometer assays, 10 μL terpinen-4-ol achieved 100% repellency against Aedes aegypti within 10 min. Using a WHO-aligned human arm-in-cage test, 20% terpinen-4-ol provided a mean complete protection time (CPT) of 4.75 ± 0.52 h, which was statistically comparable to 20% commercial DEET (P > 0.05). Electroantennogram recordings detected strong olfactory responses of Aedes aegypti antennae toward both monoterpenes. In-silico molecular docking targeting odorant-binding protein 1 (OBP1) from three mosquito species indicated that terpinen-4-ol could form stable complexes with OBP1, with predicted binding free energies comparable to DEET (≤ -6.61 kcal/mol). Beyond repellency, terpinen-4-ol achieved 96.39-99.66% inhibition against three common skin-pathogenic microbes (E. coli, S. aureus, C. albicans) at 24 μL/mL and alleviated dextran-40-induced pruritus in mice, whereas γ-terpinene exhibited superior ABTS radical-scavenging capacity. These findings identify terpinen-4-ol as a DEET-comparable repellent monomer with integrated benefits for preventing mosquito bites and managing bite-associated secondary infections and itching, providing a foundation for developing multi-functional natural repellent formulations.PMID:43003150 | DOI:10.1016/j.fitote.2026.107559