Plant extracts for developing mosquito larvicides: From laboratory to the field, with insights on the modes of action (2025)

Plant extracts as potential mosquito larvicides

The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 2012

Mosquitoes act as a vector for most of the life threatening diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya ferver, filariasis, encephalitis, West Nile Virus infection, etc. Under the Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM), emphasis was given on the application of alternative strategies in mosquito control. The continuous application of synthetic insecticides causes development of resistance in vector species, biological magnification of toxic substances through the food chain and adverse effects on environmental quality and non target organisms including human health. Application of active toxic agents from plant extracts as an alternative mosquito control strategy was available from ancient times. These are nontoxic, easily available at affordable prices, biodegradable and show broad-spectrum target-specific activities against different species of vector mosquitoes. In this article, the current state of knowledge on phytochemical sources and mosquitocidal activity, their mechanism of action on target population, variation of their larvicidal activity according to mosquito species, instar specificity, polarity of solvents used during extraction, nature of active ingredient and promising advances made in biological control of mosquitoes by plant derived secondary metabolites have been reviewed.

Plant extracts as potential mosquito larvicides. Indian J Med Res

The Indian Journal of Medical Research

Mosquitoes act as a vector for most of the life threatening diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya ferver, filariasis, encephalitis, West Nile Virus infection, etc. Under the Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM), emphasis was given on the application of alternative strategies in mosquito control. The continuous application of synthetic insecticides causes development of resistance in vector species, biological magnification of toxic substances through the food chain and adverse effects on environmental quality and non target organisms including human health. Application of active toxic agents from plant extracts as an alternative mosquito control strategy was available from ancient times. These are non-toxic, easily available at affordable prices, biodegradable and show broad-spectrum target-specific activities against different species of vector mosquitoes. In this article, the current state of knowledge on phytochemical sources and mosquitocidal activity, t...

Preliminary evaluation of mosquito larvicidal efficacy of plant extracts

Journal of vector borne diseases, 2007

Herbal larvicides to control mosquito larvae A preliminary study

2004

Many parts of India, especially cities harbour large number of mosquitoes. The dusk starts with the entry of mosquitoes enmass. Mosquitoes are carriers of a number of diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, rift valley fever, filariasis, etc. They are responsible for the death and illness of millions of people and animals through the transmission of diseases. There are about 90 genera and 2500 species of mosquitoes all over the world. Among these three disease spreading vectors are: Culex, the ordinary mosquitoes found in houses, carrier of encephalitis and filariasis in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Lifecycle − 10-14 days. Aedes is responsible for yellow fever, dengue fever, encephalitis, etc. Life-cycle ⎯ about 10 days to one month. Anopheles, responsible for malaria, also transmits filariasis and encephalitis. Life cycle ⎯ 18 days to several weeks. Only female mosquitoes suck blood of man/animals while males feed on the nectar and juice of the flowers. All mos...

Larvicidal Activity of Some Plant Extracts against Mosquitoes

2017

Mosquitoes are the major vector for the transmission of malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, filariasis, schistosomiasis and Japanese encephalitis. Malaria is one of the most important causes of direct or indirect infant, child and adult mortality with approximately two to three million new cases arising every year, in the tropics, in general and India, in particular. There is a need for more effective antimalaria drugs with broad host specificity. Medicinal plants have been known to have antimalarial activity; however there is lack of data as well as research of the same. Insecticides of botanical origin may serve as suitable alternative biocontrol techniques. Although several plants have been reported for mosquitocidal activity, only a few plants are in actual use. The present work was aimed at finding the antimalarial activity of some medicinal plants like Momoradica charantia, Glyricidia sepium, Vitex neegundo, Gardenia jasminoides, Carica papaya, Annona reticulata L. and Chrysa...

Indigenous Plants and their Larvicidal Potential against Indian Mosquito Vectors: A Review

Journal of Communicable Diseases, 2019

All over the world, millions of people are suffering from mosquito borne diseases spreading by bacteria, viruses or parasites and transmitted by mosquitoes to humans. It is estimated that about billions of currencies are spent by nations annually due to these diseases and millions of people dye as a consequence of catching mosquito borne diseases. The World Health Organization has recorded mosquitoes borne diseases as one of the topmost threats to public health, particularly in developing countries. In India, it has been estimated that annually more than 40 million people suffer from mosquito illness. Mosquito control includes target killing the larvae of mosquitoes even before they emerge into adults via using botanical extracts as an alternative larvicides. Herbal plants having a good medicinal values and potential so now a days it has been used as an insecticide at an individual and community level. These are non-toxic and biodegradable measures that are easily available and inexpensive depicting broad spectrum potential against the various strains of mosquitoes. Existing studies have taken in account the probit analysis for the calculation of percentage, LC 50, LC 90 values and 95% confidence limits to propound the observed relationship between the mortality percentage of larvae and logarithmic concentration of the active constituents found in herbal extracts. In this article, we reviewed on the current state of knowledge available on the larvicidal value of plant extracts and mosquitocidal activity, the nature of active parts of plant and promising advances, knowledge to make herbal or biological control of various species of mosquitoes as a potential eco-friendly and safe larvicides.

Larvicidal efficacy of botanical extracts against two important vector mosquitoes

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences, 2012

To determine the larvicidal efficacy of different solvent leaf extract of Ervatamia coronaria and Caesalpinia pulcherrima against Anopheles subpictus and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. Twenty five early third instar larvae of Anopheles subpictus and Culex tritaeniorhynchus were exposed to various concentrations and were assayed in the laboratory. The larval mortality was observed after 24 h of treatment. Among three solvent extracts tested the maximum efficacy was observed in the methanol extract. The LC50 (LC90) values of Ervatamia coronaria and Caesalpinia pulcherrima against early third instar of Anopheles subpictus were 86.47 (159.59) and 113.26 (207.73) ppm and Culex tritaeniorhynchus were 131.53 (245.37) and 165.28 (299.45) ppm, respectively. No mortality was observed in controls. From the results it can be concluded the crude extract of Ervatamia coronaria and Caesalpinia pulcherrima were excellent potential for controlling Anopheles subpictus and Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquito l...

Mosquito larvicidal potential of four common medicinal plants of India

The Indian journal of medical research, 2014

Mosquitoes transmit serious human health diseases, causing millions of deaths every year. Plants may be sources of alternative mosquito control agents. The present study was carried out to assess the role of larvicidal activities of the crude extracts of four plants viz. Alternanthera sessilis L. (Amaranthaceae), Trema orientalis L. (Cannabaceae), Gardenia carinata Smith. (Rubiaceae) and Ruellia tuberosa L. (Acanthaceae) against Culex quinquefasciatus Say in laboratory bioassay. Selective concentrations (0.5, 1 and 1.5%) of crude extract of all four plant leaves were tested against I st to IV th instar larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus. Log probit analysis (at 95% confidence level) revealed the LC50 values. Preliminary qualitative phytochemical analyses of crude extracts were also done. The lethal concentrations (%) of crude extracts at 24 h against III rd instar larvae were also studied on non-target organisms. In a 72 h bioassay experiment with crude extract, the highest mortality wa...

A review of botanical phytochemicals with mosquitocidal potential

Environment …, 2005

Identification of novel effective mosquitocidal compounds is essential to combat increasing resistance rates, concern for the environment and food safety, the unacceptability of many organophosphates and organochlorines and the high cost of synthetic pyrethroids. An increasing number of researchers are reconsidering botanicals containing active phytochemicals in their efforts to address some of these problems. To be highly competitive and effective, the ideal phytochemical should possess a combination of toxic effects and residual capacity. Acute toxicity is required at doses comparable to some commercial synthetic insecticides while chronic or sub-chronic toxicity is required to produce growth inhibition, developmental toxicity and generational effects. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge on larvicidal plant species, extraction processes, growth and reproduction inhibiting phytochemicals, botanical ovicides, synergistic, additive and antagonistic joint action effects of mixtures, residual capacity, effects on non-target organisms, resistance, screening methodologies, and discuss promising advances made in phytochemical research. D

Phytochemical composition and larvicidal properties of plants used for mosquito control in Kwale County, Kenya International Journal of Mosquito Research 2016; 3(3): 12-17

2016

The present study determined phytochemical constituents and larvicidal activities of Tagetus minuta L., Adansonia digitata Linn., Ocimum suave, Plectranthus barbatus A., Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Lantana camara L. Phytochemical analysis established that saponins were present in all the plants. Alkaloids and flavonoids were present in 83% of all the extracts. Tannins and sterols were found in 67% of the plants. Terpenoids were present in 33% of the plants while glycosides were present in 16% of the plants. Larvicidal activity was tested on 4 th instar larva of Aedes aegypti. At the concentration of 1mg/ml, all the extracts exhibited 100% larval mortality except aqueous extract of L. camara that killed 90% of the larvae. In aqueous extracts, T. minuta extract was most active with LD50 of 0.61 and LD95 0f 2.256. Acetone extracts of T. minuta and hexane extract of was O. suave were most active as they caused 100% larval mortality at all tested concentrations thus LD50 and LD95 could not be determined for these extracts. These findings indicate that the selected plants have larvicidal activity. More studies are needed to evaluate the activities of the plants against other types of mosquito larvae and for possible development of larvicides that are safe to use and environment friendly.