Activities of Some Nigerian Medicinal Plants against Aedes aegypti

Adeleke Clement Adebajo, Funmilayo Gladys Famuyiwa, Juliet Donatus John, Ekemini Sunday Idem, Adebowale Olusoji Adeoye

Adibs Pharma Inc., Palmetto Place, Mississauga, Canada.
Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/cm.2012.33024                

Abstract

Extracts and constituents of medicinal plants have proven to be biodegradable, had low mammalian toxicity and induction of resistance, and comparable activities to the standard drugs. Therefore, methanolic extracts of some plants that are termite resistant or used ethnomedically as antimalarial and febrifuge were evaluated for activities against 4^th-instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. A 61 % of these plants with these properties demonstrated larvicidal activities and may confirm the usefulness of these properties in choosing plant larvicides. This is the first report of larvicidal activities of stem barks and leaves of Blighia sapida and Baphia nitida, stem barks of Markhamia tomentosa and Newboldia laevis, and whole plants of Euphorbia macrophylla. Extracts of B. sapida stem bark, Costus specious root and Xylopia aethiopica seed, with LC₅₀ 1.71, 1.47 and 1.49 mg/ml at 48 h, respectively, were the most active and had significant activities that were comparable to Endosulphan. Hence, they may be used as plant larvicides in the control of dengue and yellow fever.

Keywords

Methanolic Extracts; Nigerian Medicinal Plants; Larvicidal Activities; Aedes aegypti; Plant Larvicides

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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