Acute dermal toxicity of pomelo (Citrus maxima) peel lotion as mosquito repellent on rabbits

Abstract

The study was designed to determine the acute dermal toxicity of Pomelo (<em>Citrus maxima</em>) peel lotion as mosquito repellent on rabbits. Pomelo (<em>Citrus maxima</em>) peel essential oil showed a high repellency effect with an increase concentration. The study used formulated lotion of the extracted essential oil of Pomelo (<em>Citrus maxima</em>) peel and was applied on the rabbits’ shaved skins for the determination of the acute dermal toxicity. The experiment was carried out using 2 males and 2 females albino white rabbits. The tests used were patch test and scratch test to determine the formation of erythema and edema of Pomelo (<em>Citrus maxima</em>) peel mosquito repellent lotion on rabbits using skin reaction scores and will be interpreted using Primary Irritation Index (PII). As for the results, since the lotion contained extracts of Pomelo (<em>Citrus maxima</em>) peel, it exhibits no irritation for both male and female rabbits. Therefore, formulated Pomelo (<em>Citrus maxima</em>) peel mosquito repellent lotion containing 50% and 75% have potential to the use as a safe alternative mosquito repellent.