Phenolic content of some selected Lamiaceous Egyptian medicinal plants: antioxidant potential and ecological friend mosquito-larvicldal.

Phenol compounds are naturally occurring biologically active compounds existing in all plants had received major medical concern so development in research focused on their extraction, identification and quantification have occurred over the last 25 years; they constitute an important source of antioxidants and were used to help human body to reduce oxidative damage. Mosquitos-borne diseases constitute one of the major health problems worldwide. Control strategies involving pinpointing natural ecological friend, cheap and safe mosquitocides, mainly larvicides to stop their life cycle. Quantitative estimation of total phenol, flavonoids, phenylethanoid and iridoid contents of sixteen selected Lamiaceous Egyptian plants for screening of their antioxidant and mosquito larvicidal effects was carried out. The results showed that the most suitable medicinal plants used as antioxidants were Lavendula dentata L., Thymus capitatus L. and Thymus bovei Benth., which contain adequate mixture of total phenol, flavonoid and phenylethanoid contents, with distinct larvicidal effect in a descending order was T. capitatus L., T. bovei Benth. and L. dentata L. by their adequate mixture of total phenol, flavonoid, iridoid and phenylethanoid glycoside content.