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Green-synthesized silver nanoparticles as a novel control tool against dengue virus (DEN-2) and its primary vector Aedes aegypti

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Abstract

Dengue is an arthropod-borne viral infection mainly vectored through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. Recently, its transmission has strongly increased in urban and semi-urban areas of tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide, becoming a major international public health concern. There is no specific treatment for dengue. Its prevention and control solely depends on effective vector control measures. In this study, we proposed the green-synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) as a novel and effective tool against the dengue serotype DEN-2 and its major vector Aedes aegypti. AgNP were synthesized using the Moringa oleifera seed extract as reducing and stabilizing agent. AgNP were characterized using a variety of biophysical methods including UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and sorted for size categories. AgNP showed in vitro antiviral activity against DEN-2 infecting vero cells. Viral titer was 7 log10 TCID50/ml in control (AgNP-free), while it dropped to 3.2 log10 TCID50/ml after a single treatment with 20 μl/ml of AgNP. After 6 h, DEN-2 yield was 5.8 log10 PFU/ml in the control, while it was 1.4 log10 PFU/ml post-treatment with AgNP (20 μl/ml). AgNP were highly effective against the dengue vector A. aegypti, with LC50 values ranging from 10.24 ppm (I instar larvae) to 21.17 ppm (pupae). Overall, this research highlighted the concrete potential of green-synthesized AgNP in the fight against dengue and its primary vector A. aegypti. Further research on structure–activity relationships of AgNP against other dengue serotypes is urgently required.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Prof. Heinz Mehlhorn and the anonymous reviewers for improving an earlier version of the manuscript. We would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for its financial support (project no. RGP-1435-057). Dr. Jayapal Subramaniam is supported by the University Grant Commission of New Delhi (UGC-BSR-RFSMS-Research Fellowship in Science for Meritorious Students). We also thank the Research and Development Centre of Bharathiar University for providing instrumentation facilities.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Dr. Giovanni Benelli is currently an Editorial Board Member of Parasitology Research, but this does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the Parasitology Research policies on sharing data and materials.

Compliance with ethical standards

All applicable international and national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, 641 046, Tamil Nadu, India

    Vasu Sujitha, Kadarkarai Murugan, Manickam Paulpandi, Chellasamy Panneerselvam, Udaiyan Suresh, Mathath Roni, Pari Madhiyazhagan, Jayapal Subramaniam, Devakumar Dinesh, Chithravel Vadivalagan & Balamurugan Chandramohan

  2. Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Marcello Nicoletti

  3. Department of Reproduction, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, 157-8535, Japan

    Akon Higuchi

  4. Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Abdullah A. Alarfaj & Murugan A. Munusamy

  5. Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, USDA-ARS, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA

    Donald R. Barnard

  6. Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Giovanni Benelli

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  1. Vasu Sujitha
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  2. Kadarkarai Murugan
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  3. Manickam Paulpandi
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  4. Chellasamy Panneerselvam
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  7. Marcello Nicoletti
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  8. Akon Higuchi
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  10. Jayapal Subramaniam
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  11. Devakumar Dinesh
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  12. Chithravel Vadivalagan
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  13. Balamurugan Chandramohan
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  14. Abdullah A. Alarfaj
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  15. Murugan A. Munusamy
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  16. Donald R. Barnard
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  17. Giovanni Benelli
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Correspondence to Giovanni Benelli.

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Sujitha, V., Murugan, K., Paulpandi, M. et al. Green-synthesized silver nanoparticles as a novel control tool against dengue virus (DEN-2) and its primary vector Aedes aegypti . Parasitol Res 114, 3315–3325 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4556-2

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