title: Efficacy of larvicidal and pupicidal activity of Catharanthus roseus aqueous and solvent extracts against Anopheles stephensi Liston and Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the larvicidal and pupicidal activities of aqueous, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) against malaria and filariasis vectors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The larvicidal and pupicidal activities of C. roseus leaf extracts were tested against the fourth instar larvae and pupae of Anopheles stephensi (An. stephensi) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Cx. quinquefasciatus). The mortality was observed after 24 and 48 h post the treatment. The data were subjected to probit analysis to determine the lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC90) at which 50% and 90% of the treated larvae or pupae of the tested species were killed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The larval and pupal mortality were observed after 24 and 48 h of exposure of aqueous, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of C. roseus; no mortality was observed in the control group. The LC50 values against the fourth-instar larvae of An. stephensi were 68.62 and 72.04 mg/mL for the aqueous extract, 82.47 mg/mL for the ethyl acetate extract, and 78.80 and 86.64 mg/mL for the methanol extract, while the aqueous, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts had LC50 values of 85.21, 76.84 and 94.20 mg/mL against the fourth-instar larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus. The aqueous, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts had LC50 values of 118.08, 182.47 and 143.80 mg/mL against the pupae of An. stephensi and 146.20, 226.84 and 156.62 mg/mL against the pupae of Cx. quinquefasciatus, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The aqueous and methanol extracts of C. roseus leaves had an excellent potential to control the malarial vector An. stephensi and filariasis vector Cx. quinquefasciatus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Selladurai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Subarani
authors.forename: Selvi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabhanayakam
authors.forename: Chinnaperumal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kamaraj
authors.forename: Gandhi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elango
authors.forename: Mohamed Abdul
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kadir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000187:drug effects*; D001681:Biological Assay; D030008:Catharanthus / Q000737:chemistry*; D003465:Culex / Q000187:drug effects*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005260:Female; D007306:Insecticides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D011679:Pupa / Q000187:drug effects; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D010936:Plant Extracts