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Evaluation of Moringa oleifera seed lectin in traps for the capture of Aedes aegypti eggs and adults under semi-field conditions

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Abstract

The water-soluble lectin isolated from Moringa oleifera seeds (WSMoL) is a larvicidal, ovicidal, and oviposition-stimulating agent against Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions. This study investigated the effect of WSMoL in traps for the capture of A. aegypti eggs and adult females under semi-field conditions and determined whether gravid females could detect WSMoL by an olfactory response. WSMoL was isolated according to a previously described procedure using chitin chromatography. The bioassays were performed in large cages (12.5 m3). Two traps for collection of eggs (ovitrap) or adult mosquitoes (MosquiTRAPTM) were placed in a cage. One was filled with WSMoL (0.1 mg/mL) and the other with tap water (negative control). An infusion of Panicum maximum leaves was used as a positive control. Forty gravid females were then released in each cage. After 2 (for oviposition) or 3 h (for female capture), the traps were removed, and the number of eggs or females was counted. An olfactometry assay was performed to investigate whether the effect of WSMoL on gravid females was linked to an olfactory response. WSMoL showed an oviposition-stimulating effect (65 ± 14 %) that was similar (p < 0.05) to that promoted by the P. maximum infusion (67 ± 11 %). The efficiency of MosquiTRAPTM in capturing gravid females was not increased by WSMoL. The olfactometry assay indicated that the response of females to WSMoL did not involve the stimulation of olfactory sensilla. WSMoL effectively captured eggs when used in ovitraps under semi-field conditions; this property, together with the ovicidal and larvicidal activities of this lectin, makes it an interesting candidate for A. aegypti control.

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Acknowledgments

The authors express their gratitude to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for research grants and fellowships (LCBBC, AEE, and PMGP). We are also grateful to the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE), the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) for financial support. N.D.L. Santos would like to thank FACEPE for graduate scholarship. K.S. Paixão would like to thank CNPq for post-doctoral scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquímica, CCB, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, 50670-420, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

    Nataly Diniz de Lima Santos, Thiago Henrique Napoleão, Luana Cassandra Breitenbach Barroso Coelho & Patrícia Maria Guedes Paiva

  2. Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Kelly da Silva Paixão, Priscila Barbi Trindade, Mariele Ribeiro Pinto & Álvaro Eduardo Eiras

  3. Departamento de Química Fundamental, CCEN, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

    Daniela Maria do Amaral Ferraz Navarro

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  1. Nataly Diniz de Lima Santos
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  2. Kelly da Silva Paixão
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  3. Thiago Henrique Napoleão
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  4. Priscila Barbi Trindade
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  5. Mariele Ribeiro Pinto
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  6. Luana Cassandra Breitenbach Barroso Coelho
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  7. Álvaro Eduardo Eiras
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  8. Daniela Maria do Amaral Ferraz Navarro
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  9. Patrícia Maria Guedes Paiva
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Correspondence to Patrícia Maria Guedes Paiva.

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de Lima Santos, N.D., da Silva Paixão, K., Napoleão, T.H. et al. Evaluation of Moringa oleifera seed lectin in traps for the capture of Aedes aegypti eggs and adults under semi-field conditions. Parasitol Res 113, 1837–1842 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3830-z

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