title: Cymbopogon citratus-synthesized gold nanoparticles boost the predation efficiency of copepod Mesocyclops aspericornis against malaria and dengue mosquitoes.
abstract: Plant-borne compounds can be employed to synthesize mosquitocidal nanoparticles that are effective at low doses. However, how they affect the activity of mosquito predators in the aquatic environment is unknown. In this study, we synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuN) using the leaf extract of Cymbopogon citratus, which acted as a reducing and capping agent. AuN were characterized by a variety of biophysical methods and sorted for size in order to confirm structural integrity. C. citratus extract and biosynthesized AuN were tested against larvae and pupae of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi and the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. LC₅₀ of C. citratus extract ranged from 219.32 ppm to 471.36 ppm. LC₅₀ of AuN ranged from 18.80 ppm to 41.52 ppm. In laboratory, the predatory efficiency of the cyclopoid crustacean Mesocyclops aspericornis against A. stephensi larvae was 26.8% (larva I) and 17% (larva II), while against A. aegypti was 56% (I) and 35.1% (II). Predation against late-instar larvae was minimal. In AuN-contaminated environment,predation efficiency against A. stephensi was 45.6% (I) and 26.7% (II), while against A. aegypti was 77.3% (I) and 51.6% (II). Overall, low doses of AuN may help to boost the control of Anopheles and Aedes larval populations in copepod-based control programs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Kadarkarai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murugan
authors.affiliation: Insect Behavior Group, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: g.benelli@sssup.it.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benelli
authors.affiliation: Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Chellasamy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panneerselvam
authors.affiliation: Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Jayapal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Subramaniam
authors.affiliation: Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Tirupathi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jeyalalitha
authors.affiliation: Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Devakumar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dinesh
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jiang-Shiou
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Udaiyan
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Suresh
authors.affiliation: Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Pari
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Madhiyazhagan
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D033342:Copepoda / Q000502:physiology*; D031743:Cymbopogon / Q000737:chemistry*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007300:Insect Control / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D007306:Insecticides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D006046:Gold
keywords: Aedes aegypti; Anopheles stephensi; Biological control; Copepods; Lemongrass; Mesocyclops aspericornis; Nanotechnology