A Review of the Bioactivity of Plant Products Against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Abstract The mosquito Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae) is a disease vector for several pathogens that affect human health worldwide. Therefore, there is a need to produce synthetic chemicals that can effectively control mosquitoes; however, these chemicals can also cause a range of environmental and health problems. In the present review, we compiled all available information from the literature between 2005 and 2018 on plant products that have been used to control A. aegypti and tabulated their modes of action. This review classifies these plant-based products according to their bioactivities (toxicity, repellency, feeding deterrence, and oviposition deterrence) and provides new insights, findings, and patterns of their application. Plants contain a wide spectrum of chemical compounds that can effectively control mosquito populations; therefore, they should be developed to control diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Plant products are mostly safe for human, animal, and environmental health. Moreover, because of the diversity and low use of plant-derived compounds as insect control agents, mosquitoes have not acquired resistance to them. The present review indicated that the bioactivities of many plant compounds can effectively control A. aegypti in laboratory conditions, and the comprehensive cataloging and classification of natural plant product bioactivities in this review will facilitate the search for new applications of these substances in insect pest control strategies.