The ZnO-CuO Nanoporous Composite Synthesized using Gum Arabic (Acacia senegalensis) as an Emerging Nanolarvicide for Culex quinquefasciatus Larvae Management

Zaccheus Shehu,Ezra Abba,Blessing Emmanuel

doi:10.24996/ijs.2022.63.2.4

Abstract

Culex quinquefasciatus is an intermediate host of several human pathogens and serve as a vector of filariasis worldwide. Recently, there are increasing efforts to develop new and effective nanoparticles to control mosquito vectors. The green synthesis of ZnO-CuO nanoporous composite using Gum Arabic (Acacia senegalensis) was successfully carried out with Gum Arabic and the composite was characterized by UV-Visible, FTIR, and SEM/EDX techniques. Three different larval instars (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) of Culex quinquefasciatus were exposed to various concentrations (10, 20, 25 mg/l) of the ZnO-CuO nanocomposite for 24 h. The LC50 values for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd instars were found to be 4.702, 5.459, and 5.459, respectively, while the LC90 values were 22.923, 33.922, and 33.922, respectively. The correlation coefficient values for the three instars were found to be 0.982, 0.941, and 0.941, respectively, and these indicate concentration-dependent larvicidal activity. The novel ZnO-CuO nanoporous composite could serve as a new nanolarvicide against the filariasis-transmitting vector.

Highlights

ZnO, CuO, and their nanocomposites have been synthesized with confirmed nanolarvicidal activity against different species of mosquito larvae according to Ramdayevi et al [1], Sharon et al [2], Hassanain et al [3], Kirthi et al [4], Al-Dhabi and Arasu [5], Roopan et al [6], Murugan et al [7], Vijayakumar et al [8] and Mostafa et al [9]
Synthesis of ZnO-CuO Nanoporous Composite using Gum Arabic (Acacia senegalensis) The ZnO-CuO nanoporous composite using Gum Arabic (Acacia senegalensis) was synthesized based on the method reported by Fardood et al [14]
Nanotoxicity Assay In this study, Culex quinquefasciatus larvae were exposed to various concentrations of synthesized ZnO-CuO nanocomposite for 24 hours

Summary

Introduction

ZnO, CuO, and their nanocomposites have been synthesized with confirmed nanolarvicidal activity against different species of mosquito larvae according to Ramdayevi et al [1], Sharon et al [2], Hassanain et al [3], Kirthi et al [4], Al-Dhabi and Arasu [5], Roopan et al [6], Murugan et al [7], Vijayakumar et al [8] and Mostafa et al [9]. Iraqi Journal of Science, 2022, Vol 63, No 2, pp: 458-466 nanotechnological approaches, especially ZnO and CuO based nanolarvicides, have proven better in controlling disease-carrying vectors and could solve the problem of resistance development They cause no or less effects to the non-target organisms [1-9]. To synthesize ZnO-CuO nanoporous composite using Gum Arabic (Acacia senegalensis), 1 g of Gum Arabic (GA) was placed in a beaker and 40 ml of distilled water was added. Results and Discussion UV-Visible Analysis Absorption spectrum of synthesized ZnO-CuO nanocomposite using Gum Arabic (Acacia senegalensis) (Figure 1) at different wave lengths, ranging from 280 to 800 nm, was measured using UV-Vis spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer Lamda Spectrophotometer). Energy Dispersed X-ray (EDX) Analysis The elemental composition analysis of the ZnO-CuO nanoporous composite using Gum Arabic (Acacia senegalensis) demonstrated elements with different atomic concentrations (Figure 4). It was confirmed that the presence of other elements is due to the Gum Arabic used in the synthesis, as reported by Mahendran et al [26]

Detection limit

Findings

Conclusions