Larvicidal Activity of Extracts from Dried and Fresh Muntinga calabura (Aratiles) Leaves against Mosquito Larvae

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Inthe Philippines, thousands of dengue cases are recorded each year. It is caused by Aedes aegypti, a dengue-carrying mosquito. There are plants that have been reported for their insecticidal properties and one of those is the Muntingia calabura or locally known as aratiles. Its leaves contain flavonoids, chalcones, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds. Determination and comparison of the effectivity of a larvicide from dried and fresh Muntingia calabura (aratiles) leaf extracts through ethanolic extraction and decoction is the primary aim of the study. This is of great significance in the development of environmental friendly ways of eradicating disease-carrying mosquitoes in the future.

METHODS

Dried and fresh aratiles leaves were pulverized and shredded, respectively, and undergone rotary vacuum evaporator to obtain the ethanolic extracts. The same amount of dried and fresh aratiles leaves went through decoction using distilled water. Mosquito larvae were cultured in a controlled environment and ten of which were placed in each setup with pure concentrations of the dried and fresh aratiles leaf extracts. The number of dead mosquito larvae was deduced within 30 minutes. The procedure was repeated three times and the mean was computed for analysis. Using IBM SPSS Statistics Data Editor v.23.0.0.0, T-test of independent means and point biserial coefficient of correlation were utilized.

RESULTS

The results of the three trials in the different extracts showed that in ethanolic extract from dried aratiles leaves, eight mosquito larvae were killed after 30 minutes of observation. While in the ethanolic extract from fresh aratiles leaves, all mosquito larvae were killed. The next setup: the decocted extract from dried aratiles leaves, one mosquito larvae was killed after 30 minutes of observation and on the other hand, three mosquito larvae were killed in the decocted extract from fresh aratiles leaves.

DISCUSSIONS

Results showed that the extraction method and kind of leaf used both showed a significant difference and a very high positive correlation with the mortality rate of mosquito larvae. Furthermore, results showed that fresh aratiles leaf extracts in both methods of extraction were more effective than the dried leaf extracts. Overall, the ethanolic extract from fresh aratiles leaves was the most effective extract. The results of the test showed that the ethanolic extract from fresh aratiles leaves is an effective larvicide against mosquito larvae.