Chemical composition and larvicidal activities of the essential oil of Zanthoxylum armatum DC (Rutaceae) against three mosquito vectors.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticide, this study was undertaken to assess the larvicidal potential of the essential oil from the seeds of Zanthoxylum armatum DC [syn. Z. alatum Roxb] (Rutaceae) against three medically important species of mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus. METHODS: Essential oil was hydro distilled in the laboratory from the seeds obtained from the market and the chemical constituents of the oil were determined using GC/GC-MS. Bioefficacy of the essential oil was evaluated under laboratory conditions using III instar mosquito larvae. RESULTS: Among the three mosquito species tested, Cx. quinquefasciatus was the most sensitive (LC50 = 49 ppm) followed by Ae. aegypti (LC50 = 54 ppm) and An. stephensi (LC50 = 58 ppm). GC-MS analysis of the oil revealed at least 28 compounds, consisting mainly of oxygenated monoterpenes (75%) and monoterpenes (22%). Linalool though constituted a major part (57%), failed to produce any appreciable mortality when tested alone. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: From the results it can be concluded that the larvae of the three mosquito species were susceptible to the essential oil composition. Such findings would be useful in promoting research aiming at the development of new agent for mosquito control based on bioactive chemical compounds from indigenous plant sources as an alternative to chemical larvicides.

Serum haptoglobin level in patients with malignant lymphoma and its clinical significance.

Serum haptoglobin level and its phenotypes were studied in 208 normal people and 176 malignant lymphoma patients consisting of 112 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) and 64 Hodgkin's Disease (HD) at Tata Memorial Hospital, Bombay and were correlated with the clinical stages of the lymphomas. Haptoglobin (Hp) levels were also estimated in the patients at different intervals during their chemotherapy. Hp level was found significantly increased to 147.83 +/- 8.67 in NHL and 173.57 +/- 13.31 in HD as compared to 67.46 +/- 2.53 in the controls. The phenotypic and gene frequencies in the lymphoma patients did not differ significantly from those of the controls. All the clinical stages, except stage I, of NHL and HD revealed significant rise in Hp level when compared with the controls. When different clinical stages of NHL and HD were compared separately, HD showed significant rise in HP level over the NHL only in Stage IV (p less than 0.05). Significant reduction in Hp level was observed when the disease regressed due to chemotherapy but it again increased with the relapse of the disease. Thus, the study of serum haptoglobin levels at intervals in lymphoma patients would help to understand the regression or relapse of the disease and also the prognosis.