Neem (Azadirachta indica): towards the ideal insecticide?
Pesticide resistance is going to change rapidly our antibiotics and insecticides arsenal. In this scenario, plant-derived natural products are considered valuable candidates to reverse this negative trend. Growing research attention is focused on neem (Azadirachta indica, Meliaceae), exploring the utility of its products as insecticides and antibiotics. In this review, we summarised the knowledge on neem oil and neem cake by-products in arthropod pest control, with special reference to mosquito vectors of public health importance. To the best of our knowledge, neem-borne products currently showed effective and eco-friendly features, including little non-target effects, multiple mechanisms of action, low cost, easy production in countries with limited industrial facilities. In particular, the potentiality of neem cake as ideal and affordable source of mosquitocidal compounds in anopheline and aedine control programmes is outlined. Overall, we propose the employ of neem-based products as an advantageous alternative to build newer and safer arthropod control tools.
a Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|b The BioRobotics Institute , Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies , Pontedera , Italy.
Giovanni
G
Benelli
a Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
Angelo
A
Canale
c Department of Environmental Biology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
Chiara
C
Toniolo
d Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering , National Central University , Jhongli , Taiwan.
Akon
A
Higuchi
e Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences , Bharathiar University , Coimbatore , India.|f Department of Biotechnology , Thiruvalluvar University , Vellore , India.
Kadarkarai
K
Murugan
g Crop Research Institute , Prague , Czech Republic.
Roman
R
Pavela
c Department of Environmental Biology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
Marcello
M
Nicoletti
D000818:Animals; D031601:Azadirachta; D019448:Ethnobotany; D005989:Glycerides / Q000494:pharmacology; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010571:Pest Control; D013729:Terpenes / Q000494:pharmacology
D005989:Glycerides; D007306:Insecticides; D013729:Terpenes; C002443:neem oil
Green nanosynthesis; Meliaceae; Zika virus; malaria; mosquito vectors; pesticides