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Identification of insecticidal molecule aucubin from Metarhizium anisopliae ethyl acetate crude extract against disease mosquito vector

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Abstract

Identification of insecticidal compounds from the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae crude extract was performed by TLC and column fractionation. From the fractionation four fractions were separated and tested for larvicidal, pupicidal and adulticidal potential against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Among the four fractions the fraction-3 was most effective against larvae with LC50 values, 1.238, 1.300 and 2.899 for pupae, 1.440, 1.657, 2.593 and adult, 1.988, 2.037 and 4.086 µg/ml against Ae. aegypti, An. stephensi and Cx. quinquefasciatus at 24 h post treatment respectively. The effective fraction-3 were charectrized through FT-IR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, 13C-NMR and 1H-NMR, HPLC, and LC–MS analysis allowed to identifying the effective compound in fraction-3. Overall, the results confirmed the use of the fungus derived molecules as an active green pesticide against mosquito vectors of public importance and led to the identification of highly effective mosquitocidal products. In particular the toxic activity of aucubin far encompassed that of the large majority of earlier studied microbial insecticides, making this molecule an ideal candidate for the development of insecticides in the “real world”.

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Acknowledgements

Mr. P. Vivekanandhan acknowledges Periyar University for providing financial support under University Research Fellowship Scheme (Ref No. PU/AD-3/161619/URF/2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Periyar University, Salem, 636 011, Tamil Nadu, India

    P. Vivekanandhan, K. Swathy & M. S. Shivakumar

  2. Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions, Grambharti, Amarapur, Gujarat, 382650, Gandhinagar, India

    P. Vivekanandhan & K. Swathy

  3. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand

    P. Vivekanandhan

  4. Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-Os-Montes E Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    P. Vivekanandhan

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  1. P. Vivekanandhan
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  2. K. Swathy
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  3. M. S. Shivakumar
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Contributions

P. Vivekanandhan and M.S. Shivakumar designed the experiments; P. Vivekanandhan conducted the experiments and K. Swathy analyzed experimental results. P. Vivekanandhan interpreted the data and wrote the manuscript; M.S. Shivakumar and P. Vivekanandhan revised and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to M. S. Shivakumar.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors. All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Vivekanandhan, P., Swathy, K. & Shivakumar, M.S. Identification of insecticidal molecule aucubin from Metarhizium anisopliae ethyl acetate crude extract against disease mosquito vector. Int J Trop Insect Sci 42, 3303–3318 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-022-00828-0

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