Promising Insecticidal Properties of Essential Oils from <i>Artemisia aragonensis</i> Lam. and <i>Artemisia negrei</i> L. (Asteraceae) by Targeting Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid and Ryanodine Receptor Proteins: <i>In Vitro</i> and <i>In Silico</i> Approaches

<i>Artemisia negrei</i> (<i>A. negrei</i>) and <i>Artemisia aragonensis</i> (<i>A. aragonensis</i>) are in the family Asteraceae, which has been used in traditional medicine. The use of plant-derived insecticides has become a promising strategy to reduce the harmful effects of synthetic insecticides and overcome the bio-resistance of pest insects to insecticides. In this regard, the purpose of the current study was to determine the chemical composition and evaluate insecticidal effects of essential oils (EOs) extracted from <i>A</i>. <i>negrei</i> (EON) and <i>A. aragonensis</i> (EOA). Notably, all chemical constituents present in the EOs were identified through GC-MS analysis, whilst the insecticidal properties against <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> Fab. (<i>C. maculatus</i>) were investigated by use of <i>in vitro</i> an <i>in silico</i> approaches. The obtained results showed that both tested EOs present a significant insecticidal effect against <i>C. maculatus</i>, which increased significantly upon the dose used in both contact and inhalation tests. The lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) for the inhalation test were found to be 2.1 and 2.97 μL/L, while in the contact test they were 2.08 and 2.74 μL/L of air for EON and EOA, respectively. At 5 μL/L of air, the spawn reduction rate was 88.53 % and 77.41%, while the emergence reduction rate was 94.86% and 81.22% by EON and EOA, respectively. With increasing doses of up to 20 μL/L of air, the reduction in individual emergence reached 100% by the two oils tested after 36 h of treatment. In addition, Molecular docking (MD) simulations supported the <i>in vitro</i> findings and indicated that certain identified components in EOA and EON exhibited stronger hydrogen bonding interactions with the target receptors. Interestingly, the prediction of ADMET properties indicates that the molecules investigated have great pharmacokinetic profiles with no side effects. Taken together, our findings suggest that EOA and EON may exert both potential contact and inhalation insecticidal actions and could be used as an alternative tool for the control of this major insect pest of stored products.