Low-cost and eco-friendly green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Feronia elephantum (Rutaceae) against Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles stephensi, and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Marimuthu Govindarajan
Mohan Rajeswary
Udaiyan Muthukumaran
Kaliyan Veerakumar
Journal: Parasitology research (2014)
Discipline: MICROBIOLOGY
Keywords: Mosquitoes; Vector control; Silver nanoparticles; Larvicidal activity; Feronia elephantum
Affiliations: Unit of Vector Biology and Phytochemistry, Department of Zoology, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, 608 002, India.

Abstract:  Mosquitoes transmit serious human diseases, causing millions of deaths every year. The use of synthetic insecticides to control vector mosquitoes has caused physiological resistance and adverse environmental effects in addition to high operational cost. Insecticides of synthesized natural products for vector control have been a priority in this area. In the present study, the larvicidal activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using Feronia elephantum plant leaf extract against late third-instar larvae of Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus was determined. The range of concentrations of synthesized AgNPs (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 μg mL(-1)) and aqueous leaf extract (25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 μg mL(-1)) were tested against the larvae of A. stephensi, A. aegypti, and C. quinquefasciatus. Larvae were exposed to varying concentrations of aqueous crude extract and synthesized AgNPs for 24 h. Considerable mortality was evident after the treatment of F. elephantum for all three important vector mosquitoes. The synthesized AgNPs from F. elephantum were highly toxic than crude leaf aqueous extract to three important vector mosquito species. The results were recorded from UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis (EDX). Synthesized AgNPs against the vector mosquitoes A. stephensi, A. aegypti, and C. quinquefasciatus had the following LC50 and LC90 values: A. stephensi had LC50 and LC90 values of 11.56 and 20.56 μg mL(-1); A. aegypti had LC50 and LC90 values of 13.13 and 23.12 μg mL(-1); and C. quinquefasciatus had LC50 and LC90 values of 14.19 and 24.30 μg mL(-1). No mortality was observed in the control. These results suggest that the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using F. elephantum has the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of A. stephensi, A. aegypti, and C. quinquefasciatus. This is the first report on the mosquito larvicidal activity of the plant extracts and synthesized nanoparticles. 

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PubPeer comments:
 This paper looks very similar to another paper by some of the same authors, i.e. doi: 10.1007 s00436-014-4077-4 (see PubPeer entry: https: pubpeer.com publications 4BB1B9C8BC0EFDD7856F386E1B9A27 ). Some of the experiments and figures in both papers appear to be the same. Here are both Figures 3 of the two papers compared: ![file] And here are Figures 5 next to each other. ![file] Because the figures display the same experiments, it suggests that parts of these papers are not novel. ,