article · Marine Drugs
Methanolic extracts from three brown algae species, Cystoseira myrica, Cystoseira trinodis, and Cystoseira tamariscifolia, demonstrate potent larvicidal activity against the third larval instar of Culex pipiens mosquitoes, an important vector of diseases such as filariasis and avian malaria. Chemical screening using UPLC-ESI-MS tentatively identified twelve phenolic and terpenoid constituents distributed across the extracts. Toxicity assays revealed that Cystoseira myrica was the most lethal, followed by Cystoseira trinodis and Cystoseira tamariscifolia after a 24-hour exposure period. Biochemical evaluations showed that larval exposure led to marked reductions in whole-body protein, lipid, and carbohydrate concentrations. Furthermore, the extracts elevated glutathione-S-transferase levels and suppressed acetylcholine esterase activity in the larvae. Complementary computational docking studies confirmed strong binding affinities between the identified algal metabolites and these target enzymes, indicating their mechanism of action.
Culex pipiens mosquitoes transmit pathogens responsible for severe conditions such as filariasis and avian malaria. Managing mosquito populations at the larval stage helps prevent disease spread before adult vectors emerge. Identifying active natural compounds from marine algae provides an environmentally friendly starting point for developing alternative pest control agents that may circumvent the health and ecological drawbacks associated with conventional synthetic insecticides.
This research could support the development of botanical larvicide formulations by agrochemical or pest control companies for use by public health authorities and vector control programmes. The findings represent early-stage laboratory research, relying on crude extracts and computational simulations. Substantial development, including active ingredient isolation, formulation stability work, non-target toxicity testing, and field trials, is necessary before these algal extracts can be deployed commercially.
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Culex pipiens mosquitoes are transmitters of many viruses and are associated with the transmission of many diseases, such as filariasis and avian malaria, that have a high rate of mortality. The current study draws attention to the larvicidal efficacy of three methanolic algal extracts, Cystoseira myrica, C. trinodis, and C. tamariscifolia, against the third larval instar of Cx. pipiens. The UPLC-ESI-MS analysis of three methanol fractions of algal samples led to the tentative characterization of twelve compounds with different percentages among the three samples belonging to phenolics and terpenoids. Probit analysis was used to calculate the lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC90). The highest level of toxicity was attained after treatment with C. myrica extract using a lethal concentration 50 (LC50) of 105.06 ppm, followed by C. trinodis (135.08 ppm), and the lowest level of toxicity was achieved by C. tamariscifolia (138.71 ppm) after 24 h. The elevation of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and reduction of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) enzymes confirm the larvicidal activity of the three algal extracts. When compared to untreated larvae, all evaluated extracts revealed a significant reduction in protein, lipid, and carbohydrate contents, verifying their larvicidal effectiveness. To further support the observed activity, an in silico study for the identified compounds was carried out on the two tested enzymes. Results showed that the identified compounds and the tested enzymes had excellent binding affinities for each other. Overall, the current work suggests that the three algal extractions are a prospective source for the development of innovative, environmentally friendly larvicides.
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DOI: 10.3390/md21020117
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