Larvicidal activity of isolated fatty acids from Senegalia rugata pods.

The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Andhrapradesh, and Guntur municipal corporation, India announced a war against mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, filariasis, dengue, chikungunya, and encephalitis. The Senegalia rugata (Lam.) Britton & Rose, Synonym: Acacia concinna (Wild.) DC., Family: Fabaceae is one of the ayurvedic medicinal plants and is commonly known as soap pod and shikakai in India. This research isolated and characterized a mixture of methyl esters of five polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA): methyl oleate, glyceryl trilinoleate, methyl linoleate, methyl eicosenoate, and methyl vernolate from petroleum ether extract of pods of S rugata (PESR) and epigallocatechin (EGC) from the ethanol extract of S rugata pods (EESR) using column chromatography, ¹HNMR, 13CNMR, and IR spectral studies. The EESR, PESR, and PUFA emulsion (PFE) were evaluated for their larvicidal action against fifty larvae each of four mosquito species as per the guidelines for mosquito larvicidal bioassay, WHO. The LC50 and LC90 values of PFE were 10 ml and 15 ml respectively. The LC50 and LC90 values of PESR were 20 ml and 30 ml respectively. No mortality was observed with the EESR mixture. The result showed the concentrationdependent larvicidal actions of PFE and PESR. The Senegalia rugata environmentally friendly alternative in reducing the use of chemicals for mosquito control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]