Bioassay-guided fractionation of a dried commercial source, Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd rhizomes extract, against Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae)

Nael Abutaha,Fahd A. AL-MEKHLAFI 한국응용곤충학회 2020 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.23 No.1

The increasing risk of insecticide resistance in mosquito populations has led to the search for new larvicidal agents. Evaluation of bioassay-guided fractionation of the rhizome extract of Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd against Aedes aegypti was assessed. Bioactive fractions were isolated from the rhizome extract of A. galanga using a Soxhlet extractor and chromatography techniques, and subsequently tested against the fourth instar of Culex pipiens. The lethal concentration (LC) was calculated via log-probit analysis. The active fraction was evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) and infrared (IR) analysis. The highest larvicidal potential obtained from bioassays using the Soxhlet apparatus was observed in dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate (EtoAc) extracts, with LC 50 values of 124.49 and 176.30 ppm, respectively, after 24 h of exposure. Subsequently, the DCM extract was subjected to column and thin-layer chromatography. Results of the DCM extraction and the active TLC fraction (F133) of the Rf value 0.5 revealed that LC 50 and LC 90 values decreased over time. The F133 fraction of A. galanga exhibited zero hatchability (100% mortality) at LC 50 (63.416 ppm) and LC 25 (31.70 ppm) against Cx. pipiens eggs. GC–MS analysis of the active thin-layer chromatography TLC fraction (F133) revealed the presence of phenol 2 4-bis (1 1-dimethylethyl), which was identified as the major compound. Alpinia galanga extract is a promising candidate for the control of mosquito populations. Further study is required to determine the effect of the extracts on non-target organisms.

Larvicidal potency of selected xerophytic plant extracts on Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae)

Nael Abutaha,Fahd A. AL-MEKHLAF,Lamya Ahmed AL-KERIDIS,Muhammad FAROOQ,Fahd A. NASR,Muhammad AL-WADAAN 한국곤충학회 2018 Entomological Research Vol.48 No.5

Chemical insecticides released into the environment may have adverse biological effects. Therefore, there is a need for ecofriendly insecticides for mosquito control. Xerophytic plant extracts that may provide more ecofriendly active component were evaluated against Culex pipiens 4th instars. Plant extracts prepared using different solvents with a Soxhlet apparatus and different concentrations were tested against Culex pipiens larvae. The effects were observed at 24 h and 72 h intervals and LD50 and LD90 values determined. Chloroform (CHCl3) and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts of Althaea ludwigii were the most effective against Cx. pipiens 4th instars, but were highly dependent on extract concentrations and exposure time. Results suggest that A. ludwigii extracts contain bioactive compounds, such as phenols and saponins, that may provide effective Cx. pipiens larval control. However, the extract was found to be toxic to zebrafish larvae, and may be toxic to other aquatic fauna. Further studies to determine the active components and toxicity to other fauna are needed.

Apoptotic Potential and Chemical Composition of Jordanian Propolis Extract against Different Cancer Cell Lines

Nael Abutaha 한국미생물·생명공학회 2020 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.30 No.6

Propolis is a resinous substance that is collected by Apis mellifera from plant sources and is used in traditional medicine. To study the phytochemical constituents and apoptotic potential of Jordanian propolis extract against different cancer cell lines, propolis was extracted using methanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate and was fractionated using chromatographic methods. Cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT and LDH assays. The apoptotic potential was investigated using florescence microscopy, multicaspase assay, Annexin-V and dead cell assay, and cell cycle assay. The phytochemical constituents were analyzed using GC-MS. The methanol extract of propolis exhibited cytotoxic potential against all cell lines tested. The IC50 values of the methanol extract were 47.4, 77.8, 91.2, and 145.0 μg/ml for HepG2, LoVo, MDAMB231, and MCF7 cell lines, respectively. The IC50 values of the F1 fraction were 31.6 (MDAMB231), 38.9 (HepG2), 36.7 (LoVo) and 75.5 (MCF7) μg/ml. On further purification using thin-layer chromatography, the IC50 values of the F1-3 fraction were found to be 84.31(HepG2), 79.2 (MCF7), 70.4 (LoVo), and 68.9 (MDAMB231) μg/ml, respectively. The anticancer potential of the F1 fraction was confirmed through the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. The GC-MS analysis of the F1 fraction revealed the presence of 3-methyl-4- isopropylphenol (29.44%) as a major constituent. These findings indicate the potential of propolis extract as a cancer therapy. However, further investigation is required to assess the acute and subacute toxicity of the most active fraction.

Inhibition of the growth and development of mosquito larvae of Culex pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae) treated with extract from flower of Matricaria chamomilla (Asteraceae)

Fahd A. AL-MEKHLAFI,Nael Abutaha,Ahmed M. AL-MALKI,Muhammad AL-WADAAN 한국곤충학회 2020 Entomological Research Vol.50 No.3

Mosquitoes can transfer many adverse diseases to human and animals therefore, there is a need to fight their spread. Among promising larvicidal sources is the use of plant extracts, which will play an important role in the future. This study was conducted to assess the larvicidal activity of Ferula hermonis Boiss,Achillea millefolium, Salvia officnalis, Psidium guaja and Matricaria chamomilla extract against Culex pipiens. The plant materials were extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol using a Soxhlet extractor. The extracts were evaluated for larvicidal activity against Cx. pipiens the mortality was monitored after 24 and 48 h of exposure. None of the extracts tested showed larvicidal acitivties except M. chamomilla. The ethyl acetate extract showed the most promising larvicidal activity with LC50 values of 287.1 and 209.4 ppm after 24 and 48 h of exposure, respectively. Treatment of the eggs with different concentrations of the active extract decreased the hatchability of the eggs dose dependently from 95 to 86.49%. Similarly, the pupal duration increased in treated groups. The larval period lasted for 12 d, whereas that of the control group lasted for 10 d. Furthermore, the pupal period lasted 3 d (control 2 d) in treated groups. The data also revealed a significant decrease in the growth index in treated groups (0.00–7.53) than that of the control (8.5). The GC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 1.6.10-dodecatriene, 7,11-dimethyl-3-methylene (89.68%), 1,6-cyclodecadiene, 1-methyl-5-methylene-8-(1-methylethyl)-, [S-(E,E)] (6.34%), 2H-pyran 3-ol (4.04%), and 2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (0.079%).

Larvicidal potential of gold and silver nanoparticles synthesized using Acalypha fruticosa leaf extracts against Culex pipiens (Culicidae: Diptera)

Alhag Sadeq K.,Al-Mekhlafi Fahd A.,Abutaha Nael,Abd Al Galil Fahd Mohammed,Wadaan Muhammad A. 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.1

Plant secondary metabolites have been recently used for the synthesis of different nanoparticles. The present investigation aimed at evaluating the effect of gold (AuNPs) and silver (AgNPs) nanoparticles synthesized using Acalypha fruticosa leaf extracts to control the mosquito Culex pipiens. The A. fruticosa AuNPs and AgNPs spectra displayed their maximum absorption at 550 nm and 440 nm, respectively. The infrared spectra revealed different functional groups related to different chemical compounds. The larval mortality of aqueous leaf extract of A. fruticosa was 499.54 ppm (LC 50 ) and 1734.06 ppm (LC 90 ) after 24 h of treatment. This study revealed that AuNP (LC 50 , 30.2 and LC 90 , 104.83 ppm) and AgNP (LC 50 , 52.86 and LC 90 , 157.227 ppm) preparations were highly effective compared to the A. fruticosa extract alone and also more affordable, as a smaller amount was required. The present findings show the potential larvicidal effect of the synthesized AuNPs and AgNPs for the control of mosquito-mediated disease transmission.