Larvicidal Effects of Ethanol Leaf Extracts of Artemisia annua, Cymbopogon citratus and Mentha piperita Against Anopheles and Culex Mosquito Larvae
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Abstract
Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest insects in the world as they serve as important vectors of diseases including yellow fever, malaria, West Nile virus fever, lymphatic filariasis, etc., causing millions of deaths globally. The urgent need for novel and effective insecticides that are affordable and target-specific is highlighted by the problem of insecticide resistance and its consequences on non-target organisms. Plants possess many bioactive compounds, making them suitable alternatives as mosquito control agents. This study investigated the larvicidal activity of Artemesia annua, Cymbopogon citratus and Mentha piperita extracts against Anopheles and Culex larvae. Plant leaf extracts were evaluated for insecticidal properties against 4th instar mosquito larvae using standardized WHO protocol and the mortality was recorded after 24-, 48- and 72-hours post-exposure time. Anopheles larvae were highly susceptible to extracts of Mentha piperita (LC50 5.901mg/ml and LC90 16.501mg/ml) followed by Cymbopogon citratus (LC50 7.605mg/ml and LC90 24.471mg/ml) with least mortality in Artemesia annua (LC50 10.201mg/ml and LC90 46.501mg/ml). Similarly, the highest mortality for Culex larvae was observed from treatments with M. piperita (LC50 7.851mg/ml and LC90 28.642mg/mL) followed by C. citratus (LC50 10.550mg/ml and LC90 44.381mg/ml) and A. annua extract (LC50 12.396mg/ml and LC90 54.981mg/ml) after 24-hour post-exposure. Also, larval mortality differed significantly (p<0.05) across the concentrations used. These results suggest that ethanolic leaf extracts of the plants used possess significant larvicidal activity and might be considered a natural source for larvicide production.
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