Synthesis of silver nanoparticle with Colocasia esculenta (L.) stem and its larvicidal activity against Culex quinquefasciatus and Chironomus sp

ABSTRACT

Objective: To synthesize silver nanoparticles with Colocasia esculenta as a reducing agent and to evaluate their effect against Culex quinquefasciatus and Chironomus sp. Methods: The aqueous extract of Colocasia esculenta stem was used for nanosynthesis. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Zeta potential studies. The toxicity of Colocasia esculenta stem extract and the synthesized silver nanoparticles was evaluated against the larval stages of target human filarial vector Culex quinquefasciatus and non-target Chironomus sp. Results: Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies revealed almost spherical shape of the synthesized silver nanoparticles with size ranging from 13-50 nm. After 24 hours of exposure, the LC