Synthesis of gold nanoparticles by the fungus Aspergillus niger and its efficacy against mosquito larvae

Abstract

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles by the fungus Aspergillus niger and its efficacy against mosquito larvae Namita Soni, Soam PrakashEnvironmental and Advanced Parasitology and Vector Control Biotechnology Laboratories, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra, IndiaBackground: The fungus Aspergillus niger has been selected for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The authors report the role of fungi in the synthesis of AuNPs. Additionally, the larvicidal efficacy of these AuNPs was tested using the larvae of three mosquito species: Anopheles stephensi, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Aedes aegypti.Methods: The AuNPs were characterized through microplate reader analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The larvicidal efficacy was tested against all larval stages of A. stephensi, C. quinquefasciatus, and A. aegypti and calculated by probit analysis at six different log concentrations at the time points of 24, 48, and 72 hours.Results: The AuNPs synthesized by A. niger were found to be more effective against the C. quinquefasciatus larvae than the A. stephensi and A. aegypti larvae. All larval instars of C. quinquefasciatus showed 100% mortality after 48 hours of exposure to the AuNPs synthesized by A. niger.Conclusion: The results suggest that the use of AuNPs synthesized by fungus can be a more rapid and environmentally friendly approach for mosquito control than current approaches. This could potentially lead to a new vector control strategy.Keywords: nanoparticles, biosynthesis, fungi, larvicide, mosquito-borne disease