Abstract
Leaf-cutter ants are agricultural and urban pests that defy chemical control methods. Laboratory and field studies have revealed repellent and insecticidal activity by the extracts of Tithonia diversifolia (Asteraceae), known as Mexican sunflower, as a promising alternative for the control of the leaf-cutter ant Atta cephalotes. This study evaluated the effects of different extracts (non-polar and polar) of T. diversifolia dry leaves on worker ants from laboratory colonies of A. cephalotes through ingestion and contact. In addition, the biological activity of the extracts as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) was evaluated. A dichloromethane extract at 1000 ppm presented the highest insecticidal activity through ingestion, causing 70% and 90% worker ant mortality after five and seven days of treatment, respectively. The acetylcholinesterase inhibition values showed that the dichloromethane presented the best AChE concentration of inhibition (IC50) at 73.9 ± 11.06 μg/mL, compared to its fractions, which demonstrates that its activity is potentiated when the crude extract is used. Our results can be attributed to the existence of terpenes and sesquiterpene lactones, which are likely inhibitors of AChE, in T. diversifolia.
Highlights
In Neotropical areas, leaf-cutter ants (Formicidae: Attini) are serious agricultural pests
Concentrations showed results similar to the control. These results showed that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is too highly toxic to be used as a blank in insecticide activity tests
The solubilization of the T. diversifolia extracts with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) using the lower concentration of 0.25% was preferred for the ingestion and contact bioassays
Summary
In Neotropical areas, leaf-cutter ants (Formicidae: Attini) are serious agricultural pests These ants can be considered the most highly advanced insects in terms of social organization [1]. They maintain a close, ancestral mutualistic relationship with Leucocoprinus gongylophorus, a basidiomycetous fungus (Basidiomycete: Lepiotaceae). Some insecticides have been banned in several countries due to their high chemical stability and toxicity, which affect and endanger other beings and contaminate the environment [3,4] Their efficiency is questionable and the development of ecological alternatives to replace these synthetic insecticides is highly desirable
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