Abstract
Since the long-term application of synthetic chemicals as insecticides and the chemotherapy of protozoal diseases have had various negative effects (non-target effects, resistance), research on less harmful biological products is underway. This review is focused on lichens with potential insecticidal and antiprotozoal activity. Literature sources (27) were surveyed from five bibliographic databases and analyzed according to the taxonomic group of the insect, the protozoal disease and the lichen, the type of bioactive compounds (including method of application and mount applied), and the potential bioactivity based on mortalities caused after 24 h of exposure on insects and on parasitic protozoa. Six species of protozoa and five species of mosquitoes, three kinds of larval stages of insects and three protozoa stages were tested. Insecticidal and antiprotozoal effects of crude extracts and seven lichen secondary metabolites (mostly usnic acid) of 32 lichen species were determined. Physiological and morphological changes on parasitic protozoa were observed. Mortality rates caused by LSMs on insect vectors closer to (or somewhat above) the WHO threshold were considered to be insecticides. The results are based on laboratory experiments; however, the efficacy of metabolites should be confirmed in the field and on non-human primates to control the insect vectors and human protozoal diseases transmitted by insects.
Highlights
IntroductionInsects are known to be vectors of agents that cause serious illnesses to humans and domestic animals, as well as those which feed and/or damage crops thereby reducing yield [1]
This review found that the insect transmitted human diseases, such as cutaneous leishmaniasis, malaria and Chagas disease, can be controlled using lichen secondary metabolites (LSMs) derived from
More attention should be paid to the diversity due to optical enantiomers in the future cf. [13,55] when testing their insecticide and antiprotozoal role
Summary
Insects are known to be vectors of agents that cause serious illnesses to humans and domestic animals, as well as those which feed and/or damage crops thereby reducing yield [1]. The mosquito genera such as Aedes, Anopheles and Culex transmit dreadful pathogens that cause severe diseases in humans [2]. The control of insects is critical in the prevention of human diseases that are transmitted by blood-sucking vectors [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
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