Plants have been recognized as a good source of insecticidal agents, since they are able to produce their own defensives to insect attack. Moreover, there is a growing concern worldwide to develop pesticides with low impact to environment and non-target organisms. Hexane-soluble fraction from ethanolic crude extract from fruits of Manilkara subsericea and its triterpenes were considered active against a cotton pest (Dysdercus peruvianus). Several natural products with insecticidal activity have poor water solubility, including triterpenes, and nanotechnology has emerged as a good alternative to solve this main problem. On this context, the aim of the present study was to develop an insecticidal nanoemulsion containing apolar fraction from fruits of Manilkara subsericea.

It was obtained a formulation constituted by 5% of oil (octyldodecyl myristate), 5% of surfactants (sorbitan monooleate/polysorbate 80), 5% of apolar fraction from M. subsericea and 85% of water. Analysis of mean droplet diameter (155.2 ± 3.8 nm) confirmed this formulation as a nanoemulsion. It was able to induce mortality in D. peruvianus. It was observed no effect against acetylcholinesterase or mortality in mice induced by the formulation, suggesting the safety of this nanoemulsion for non-target organisms.

The present study suggests that the obtained O/A nanoemulsion may be useful to enhance water solubility of poor water soluble natural products with insecticidal activity, including the hexane-soluble fraction from ethanolic crude extract from fruits of Manilkara subsericea.