Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibition in Sitotroga cerealella Olivier Exposed to Biopesticides

Abstract

IntroductionThe Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) is one of the serious primary pests of grain and its infestation starts in the field. Many spices are known for their medicinal properties and are also used in pest management especially on stored product insect pests to ensuring food security. However, there is dearth of information on the molecular mechanism by which these botanicals killed targeted insects especially on stored products pests.In this study, extracts of Aframomum melegueta were assessed for inhibition of butrylcholinesterase (BuchE) in S. cerealella. The assessment of butrylcholinesterase enzyme inhibition was carried out by using a colorimetric method based on Ellman's reaction.ResultsFor the seed extracts, maximum inhibitory activity was observed in n–hexane at 5% (65.00) % and (60.00) % for the leaf extract. However, for the leaf extracts, minimum inhibition of 58.33 % was obtained in petroleum ether extract while the lowest inhibition of 58.33 % was also observed in petroleum ether extracts of the seeds. These results showed that there could be great potential to search for novel usage of this medicinal plant for butrylcholinesterase compounds.ConclusionKnowledge about the inhibitory activities of this biopesticide against S. cerealella should be a vital area of interest important because of its importance in Integrated Pest Management for both scientists and biopesticides manufacturers.