Abstract
The bioactivity of four flavonoid compounds, namely poncirin, rhoifolin, naringin and marmesin, from Poncirus trifoliata was studied against the Aedes aegypti. Larvicidal assays were conducted to evaluate the 24 h LC50 and LC90 values of the flavonoid compounds. The lethal concentration (LC50 and LC90) values ranged from 0.082 to 0.122 mg/l and 0.152 to 0.223 mg/l, respectively. The result of ovicidal test suggests that the ovicidal activity of the flavonoid compounds was influenced by the concentration of flavonoid compounds and age of the eggs. The result of oviposition test showed that the four flavonoid compounds exhibited oviposition-deterrent activity against gravid female mosquitoes. Oviposition decreased with an increase in concentration of flavonoid compounds. A laboratory test was carried out to evaluate protection period and percentage of repellency of four compounds diluted in ethanol (10 mg/l). The compound rhoifolin provided maximum 365.0 ± 12.0 min protection and also 100.0% ± 0.0 repellency against mosquito bite followed by poncirin, marmesin and naringin. None of the 25 volunteers of either sex exposed to 10% (w/v) flavonoid compounds (4-h patch test) showed a positive skin irritant reaction. All of the tested compounds proved to have various activities against different life stages of A. aegypti. Therefore, flavonoid compounds from P. trifoliata can be a potential candidate for use in the development of commercial mosquitocidal products that may be an alternative to conventional synthetic chemicals, particularly in integrated vector control applications.
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Acknowledgement
The authors are thankful to the professor and head of the Department of Zoology, Annamalai University for facilities provided and Head of the Department of Zoology, AVC College for his generous support. Special thanks also goes to the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow for providing the isolated flavonoid compounds. We also wish to thank volunteers for their help during the course of experiment.
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Rajkumar, S., Jebanesan, A. Bioactivity of flavonoid compounds from Poncirus trifoliata L. (Family: Rutaceae) against the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae). Parasitol Res 104, 19–25 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-008-1145-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-008-1145-7