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Evaluation of larvicidal activities of Parthenium hysterophorus L. against Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae), the major malaria vector in Ethiopia

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Abstract

Malaria is a leading public health problem in Ethiopia despite the implementation of effective indoor vector control strategies over several decades. In the country, the use of botanicals to prevent the transmission of malaria is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the larvicidal activities of the extracts of the roots, stems, and leaves of Parthenium hysterophorus against the 4th instar larvae of Anopheles arabiensis. Field collected leaves, stems and root parts of P. hysterophorus were dried and separately ground to powder and extracted in petroleum ether, hexane, acetone, and ethanol solvents. The extracts were concentrated, and stock solutions were subject to serial dilutions for use as test concentrations. Laboratory reared 4th instar larvae of An. arabiensis were used for the larvicidal bioassays. Probit analysis was used to determine LC50 and LC90 of the extracts. There were significant differences in percentage larval mortalities (P < 0.05) among different concentrations of the leaf, stem, and root solvent extracts, respectively. Petroleum ether extracts of P. hysterophorus root were the most effective in causing very high larval mortality at 360 ppm and 480 ppm (98.3%) when compared to other extract of the plant parts. The LC50 and LC90 value of petroleum ether root extract (10.7 ppm and 105.5 ppm respectively) were significantly lower than those of ethanol, acetone, and hexane root extracts. Petroleum ether root extract of P. hysterophorus has remarkably high larvicidal potential against 4th instar larvae of An. arabiensis which could be exploited for malaria vector control. Further studies on the larvicidal efficacy of the extracts under field conditions and identification of the bioactive components in the root parts of this plant are recommended.

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Data Availability

The data sets supporting the conclusions of this article are provided in the manuscript.

Abbreviations

CL:

Confidence Limit

DF:

Degree of freedom

LC50 :

Lethal concentration of the extract which kills 50% of the fourth instar larvae of An.arabiensis after 24 hours exposure

LC 90:

Lethal concentration of the extract which kills 90% of the fourth instar larvae of An.arabiensis after 24 hours exposure time

χ2:

chi squire

PC:

Phenolic compound

PE:

Petroleum ether

ppm:

parts per million

SE:

Standard error

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to acknowledge Department of Zoological science, Addis Ababa University for providing a financial support for this research. We also express our appreciation for Addis Ababa University, Aklilu lemma institute of pathobiology staff members for their technical assistance and providing a mosquito colony for rearing.

Funding

This study was financed by Addis Ababa University thematic research project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Computational sciences, Woldia University, PO. Box, 400, Woldia, Ethiopia

    Mihretu Tarekegn

  2. Department of Zoological Sciences, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO. Box, 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Mihretu Tarekegn, Yitbarek Wolde-hawariat & Habte Tekie

  3. Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, PO. Box, 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Sisay Dugassa

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  1. Mihretu Tarekegn
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Contributions

MT, HT, YW and SD designed the study.HT, YW and SD supervised and MT conducted the experiments. MT conducted the statistical analyses. MT developed first draft, HT, YW and SD revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mihretu Tarekegn.

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Tarekegn, M., Wolde-hawariat, Y., Dugassa, S. et al. Evaluation of larvicidal activities of Parthenium hysterophorus L. against Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae), the major malaria vector in Ethiopia. Int J Trop Insect Sci 41, 1461–1469 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-020-00344-z

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