Strong larvicidal activity of three species of Spilanthes (Akarkara) against malaria (Anopheles stephensi Liston, Anopheles culicifacies, species C) and filaria vector (Culex quinquefasciatus Say)

Abstract

A system for biocontrol of malaria and filarial mosquito vectors has been developed using herbal extracts of three Spilanthes species, S. acmella L.var oleraceae Clarke, S. calva L. and S. paniculata Wall ex DC. Cent percent mortalities was achieved against the late third/early fourth instar larvae of A. stephensi Liston, A. culicifacies species C and C. quinquefasciatus Say using crude hexane extract obtained from flower heads of Spilanthes spp. Of the three plant species, S. acmella extract proved to be the most effective in inducing complete lethality at minimum doses, the respective LC50 and LC90 values being 4.57 and 7.83 (A. stephensi), 0.87 and 1.92 (A. culicifacies) and 3.11 and 8.89 ppm (C. quinquefasciatus). This was followed by S. calva and S. paniculata extracts, respectively. This is the first report of achieving cent percent lethality against these mosquito larvae using minimal doses of plant extracts from this or any other plant species.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mosquitocidal properties of Bacillus species isolated from mangroves of Vellar estuary, Southeast coast of India

“…Among the many diseases, malaria and filariasis are the most serious parasite-borne diseases of tropical regions (Pandey et al 2007). Worldwide, various strategies have been developed to reduce the prevalence of various vectors responsible for yellow fever, chikungunya fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, dengue syndrome, malaria, Japanese encephalitis and lymphatic filarisis (Ali et al 1995).…”

Dengue fever treatment with Carica papaya leaves extracts

“…There have been many reports of higher plant extracts possessing relatively good potential to inhibit viruses (Van Den Berghe, 1978). Many plants extracts including Spilanthes calva, Sterculia guttata, Balanites aegyptiaca, Vitex negundo, Solanum xanthocarpum, Artemisia annua, Fagonia indica, Nerium indicum, Trigonella foenum, in different solvents have been reported to exhibit activity against Aedes aegypti L., a vector of dengue fever [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] . C. papaya contains two important biologically active compounds vis: chymopapain and papain which are widely used for digestive disorders [13] .…”

“…The mosquito gets the virus by biting an infected person [4] . The first symptom of the disease appears in about [5][6][7] days after the infected mosquito bites a healthy person. It is possible to become infected by dengue multiple times because the virus has four different serotypes.…”

In vitro clonal propagation and genetic fidelity of the regenerants of Spilanthes calva DC. using RAPD and ISSR marker

“…Spilanthes extract is also effective against malarial parasites, specifically malarial spirochetes, either as a prophylactive or as a treatment for malarial paroxysms (Richard 1996). Besides, it is also known to possess antimicrobial (Prasad and Seenaya 2000), larvicidal (Saraf and Dixit 2002;Pandey et al 2007) and insecticidal properties (Borges-Del-Castillo et al 1984). This genus is also known for its anti-inflammatory and immune stimulating properties.…”