A Review on Mosquitocidal Activity of the Genus Solanum

Abstract

As a vector, mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting deadly diseases such as Chikungunya fever, filariasis, encephalitis, West Nile Virus infection, malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, etc. To combat this problem, various techniques and strategies had been adopted to control the mosquito population. An alternative mosquito control strategy was available from ancient times that is the application of active toxic agents from plant extracts. This preference has several advantages over the consistent application of synthetic insecticides which cause resistance in vector species, harmful effects on environment and non-target organisms, including human health. From ancient times, plants have been used to control the vector mosquitoes, and still now, in many parts of the world, many researchers are looking for plant substances to kill the mosquitoes or cause repellency in mosquitoes. The phytochemicals that originate from the plant showed various activities such as larval mortality, disrupt insect growth, and act as a repellent and also effect as an ovipositional attractant/deterrent. Several plant species have been stated so far possessing mosquitocidal activities. The present review discussed the larvicidal activities of different solvent extracts (viz. hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol) of thirteen species of Genus Solanum. Different plant parts of various species such as the leaf, berry, flower, rhizome, bulb, stem and root bark, whole plant, and essential oil demonstrated for significant larvicidal activities against different mosquito vectors viz., Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles subpictus, Anopheles culicifacies species A, Anopheles culicifacies species C, Culex vishnui group and Anopheles labranchiae. This review may open the opportunity for further explorations of the efficacy of larvicidal properties of another species under Genus Solanum for their natural product.