ABSTRACT
Seaweeds have been consumed as human food from thousands of years. In this study ethanol extract of 16 different seaweeds were tested for mosquito larvicidal activity against 4th instar larvae of Aedes aegyptii. The ethanol extracts of Padina pavonia and Sargassum ilicifolium caused 50% mortality at 1200ppm concentration. However other seaweeds Halimeda tuna, Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta), Dictyota dichotoma var intricata, Jolyna laminariodes, Sargassum binderi (Phaeophyta), Melanothamnus afaqhusainii and Solieria robusta (Rhodophyta) showed LC50 at ≈1500 ppm concentration. The n-hexane fraction of Padina pavonia was most potent and produced lethality at minimum concentration (LC50 at 250ppm).The effect of ethanol and water extracts of S. binderii was also examined on liver function of healthy rats. The ethanol extract of Sargassum binderi given orally to rats @ 200mg/kg for 14 days slightly increased the concentration of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP and LDH) and urea level as compared with normal control rats, but did not increase bilirubin, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and creatinine. Whereas water extract of S. binderi affected ALT while other biochemical parameters were near normal or slightly decreased as compared to normal control.
Subject(s)
Aedes/drug effects , Aedes/growth & development , Liver/drug effects , Liver/physiology , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Seaweed/chemistry , Animals , Larva/drug effects , Lethal Dose 50 , Liver Function Tests , Male , Pakistan , Plant Extracts/chemistry , RatsABSTRACT
The petroleum ether extract of dried ground seeds of Piper nigrum Linn. and some column fractions of this extract were subjected to GC and GC-MS analysis, resulting in the identification of fourteen compounds (1-14) by using NIST Mass spectral search program 1998 and the Kovat's retention indices. Ten of the compounds (1, 2, 4-12) are reported for the first time from this plant. All the fractions showed insecticidal activity against the fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti and against the fourth instar larvae of Anopheles stephensi Liston, determined by the WHO method.
Subject(s)
Piper/chemistry , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Animals , Culicidae , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Larva , Mosquito Control , Seeds/chemistryABSTRACT
Two new triterpenoids, 22,23-dihydronimocinol (1) and desfurano-6alpha-hydroxyazadiradione (2), were isolated from a methanolic extract of the fresh leaves of Azadirachta indica (neem) along with a known meliacin, 7alpha-senecioyl-(7-deacetyl)-23-O-methylnimocinolide. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated through spectral and chemical studies. Compounds 1 and 2 showed mortality for fourth instar larvae of the mosquito (Anopheles stephensi), with LC(50) values of 60 and 43 ppm, respectively.