Discovery of novel natural products for mosquito control

Abstract

Vector control plays a key role in reducing the public health burden of mosquito-borne diseases. Today’s vector control strategies largely rely on synthetic insecticides that can have a negative environmental impact when applied outdoors and often become inefficient because of the mosquitoes’ ability to develop resistance. An alternative and promising approach to circumvent these challenges involves the implementation of insecticides derived from nature (biopesticides) for vector control. Biopesticides can constitute naturally occurring organisms or substances derived from them that have lifespan-shortening effects on disease vectors such as mosquitoes. Here we present the discovery and evaluation of natural product-based biological control agents that can potentially be developed into biopesticides for mosquito control. We screened a natural product collection comprising 390 compounds and initially identified 26 molecules with potential ability to kill the larval stages of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti, which is responsible for transmitting viruses such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. Natural products identified as hits in the screen were further evaluated for their suitability for biopesticide development. We show that a selection of the natural product top hits, bactobolin, maytansine and ossamycin, also killed the larval stages of the malaria-transmitting mosquito Anopheles gambiae as well as the adult form of both species. We have further explored the usefulness of crude extracts and preparations from two of the best candidates’ sources (organisms of origin) for mosquitocidal activity, that is extracts from the two bacteria Burkholderia thailandensis and Streptomyces hygroscopicus var. ossamyceticus. Graphical abstract

A Review on Recent Advances of Natural Products as Larvicides in Vector Control Management

“…One study by [8] defined natural products used as mosquito larvicides as "chemical substances obtained from natural sources that can kill or inhibit the growth and development of mosquito larvae." The authors emphasized the potential of these natural products as a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to mosquito control.…”

Exploring Natural Alkaloids from Brazilian Biodiversity as Potential Inhibitors of the Aedes aegypti Juvenile Hormone Enzyme: A Computational Approach for Vector Mosquito Control

“…The World Health Organization reports that vector-borne diseases account for over 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 700,000 deaths annually [1]. Approximately 80% of the global population is at risk of contracting these diseases, making them a persistent public health issue [2]. Diseases such as dengue, zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya, primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, exacerbate this concern [3,4].…”

“…The most prevalent method involves the use of chemical insecticides, many of which have proven effective against Aedes aegypti larvae and adults, including carbamates, pyrethroids, and organophosphates. However, these chemical insecticides are non-selective and can harm the environment [2,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

“…Natural products (PCNs) serve as a rich reservoir of secondary metabolites, offering a promising alternative for mosquito control [2,18,19]. They exhibit lower toxicity, high efficacy in minimal quantities, biodegradability, and less inducement of insect resistance, making them superior alternatives to synthetic compounds [20][21][22][23].…”

“…They exhibit lower toxicity, high efficacy in minimal quantities, biodegradability, and less inducement of insect resistance, making them superior alternatives to synthetic compounds [20][21][22][23]. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of plant-based bioinsecticides in controlling mosquitoes, such as Aedes aegypti, that pose significant public health risks [2,16,22,[24][25][26][27][28][29].…”