Fernando B. Neves, Sergio Akinobu Yoshioka, Raimundo Nonato Picanço Souto, Silvia Maria Mathes Faustino, Irlon M. Ferreira, Hellen A. Loureiro, Inana F. Araújo, Ricardo Marcelo dos Anjos Ferreira, Rosângela do Socorro Ferreira Rodrigues Sarquis, and Victor H.S. Marinho
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a vector that causes various diseases such as chikungunya fever, dengue and Zika, and therefore constitutes a public health problem. The present study was carried out to evaluate the larvicidal activity of different crude extracts (methanolic, hydroethanolic and hexanic) from leaves of Acmella oleracea solubilized in fibroin solution, as an alternative to the organic solvents that are used against Aedes aegypti. Using the Probit analysis, the hexane extract showed LC50 of 2.23 μg/mL after 24 h, whereas the hydroethanolic and the methanolic extracts showed LC50 of 28.42 μg/mL and 39.67 μg/mL, respectively. These extracts also did not show toxicity towards Chlorella vulgaris after 30 days, which suggests that they can be used without causing environmental damage. Thus, A. oleracea extract dissolved in fibroin solution could be an alternative for controlling Ae. aegypti without causing damage to the environment.