Asian Pac J Trop Dis 2013; 3(3): 252 252

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Document heading doi: 2013 by the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease. All rights reserved. 襃 Efficacy of as mosquito larvicide

* Anupam Ghosh Department of Zoology, Bankura Christian College, West Bengal, India

Ae. aegypti To the editors, against adult [3]. Mosquitoes are the most important vectors in terms b) Mosquito populations can also be controlled by - T SCP D of global public health. hey transmits most of the life based inhibitors, which inhibit’ activity. ue to the threatening diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue inhibition of SCP, mosquitoes can t produce chlosterol from fever, chikungunya ferver, filariasis, encephalitis, West Nile plant sterols and results in developmental deformities lead etc. et al. virus , mostly in tropical and subtropical countries of the to larval death. Ee , isolated mangostin, an inhibitor of Ae. aegypti world. SCP, which was toxic against [4]. Emergence of insecticide resistance and the necessity of Today, the environmental safety is considered to be of preservation of natural health of ecosystem recommended paramount importance. Application of phytosterol as dietary the use of biological products in vector control operations. supplement or SCP inhibitor may serve as relatively safe, They are biodegradable, target specific, eco-friendly and inexpensive, and are readily available option in mosquito there are no evidences of resistance development. control programme. are compounds similar to E that are found in . xploiting nutritional requirements, Conflict of interest statement such as cholesterol, offers a novel, target-specific and environmentally friendly approach are important for mosquito control. Cholesterol is used in cell membranes and We declare that we have no conflict of interest. is a precursor of molting hormone. In mosquitoes, it is vital M for g’rowth, development and egg production. osquitoes References can t produce cholesterol in their body and generate cholesterol by metabolizing ingested plant sterols in their guts. Mosquitoes take the sterol from the plant decays [1] R ahuman AA, Gopalakrishnan G, Venkatesan P, Geetha K. Isolation and identification of mosquito larvicidal compound during their larval stage in the form of phytosterol, which is Abutilon indicum Parasitol Res 102 then converted to cholesterol. This conversion occurs by a from (Linn.) Sweet. 2008; : sterol carrier protein (SCP). 981-988. Phytosterols can be uses in vector control operations in [2] G hosh A, Chowdhury N, Chandra G. Laboratory evaluation of a phytosteroid compound of mature leaves of day jasmine following ways. Culex quinquefasciatus ) S (Solanaceae: Solanales) against larvae of a ome noxious phytosterols produce larval mβortality after Parasitol Res their consumption. For instance, the steroid -sitosterol, (Diptera: Culicidae) and nontarget organisms. 2008; Abutilon indicum 103 isolated from leaves of (Linn.) Sweet : 271-277. Aedes aegypti exhibited toxicity to larval forms of [3] A min E, Radwan MM, El-Hawary SS, Fathy MM, Mohammed R, Ae. aegypti Culex quinquefasciatus ( ) (LC50=11.5 mg/L), Becnel JJ, et al. Potent insecticidal secondary metabolites from Anopheles stephensi Acanthus montanus Rec Nat Prod 6 (LC50=26.7 mg/L) and (LC50=3.58 mg/L)[1]. the medicinal plant . 2012; (3): Cestrum diurnum A phytosteroid, isolated from the leaves of 301-305. Culex was previously reported for its toxic activity against [4] E e GC, Daud S, Taufiq-Yap YH, Ismail NH, Rahmani M. quinquefasciatus β β Garcinia mangostana Nat Prod Res [2] A 3 O Xanthones from (Guttiferae). . nother steroid, -sitosterol- - - - 20 D-glucoside also exhibited potent mosquitocidal activity 2006; : 1067-1073.

*Corresponding author: Dr. Anupam Ghosh, Department of Zoology, Bankura Article history: Christian College, Bankura, West Bengal, 722101, India. Received 5 Mar 2013 E-mail: [email protected] Received in revised form 10 Mar, 2nd revised form 13 Mar, 3rd revised form 17 Mar 2013 Accepted 2 May 2013 Available online 28 Jun 2013