Main Article Content

Larvicidal activity of (oxiran-2-yl)methylpentanoate extracted from mushroom <i>Cyptotrama asprata</i> against mosquito <i>Aedes aegypti</i>


E.M Njogu
A.W Njue
J.O Omolo
P.K Cheplogoi

Abstract

In our continuing search for mosquito larvicidal compounds from defined laboratory cultures of higher fungi (ascomycete and basidiomycetes), one basidiomycete Cyptotrama asprata showed strong larvicidal activity against mosquito Aedes aegyptii. From submerged cultures of C. asprata, a secondary metabolite (oxiran-2-yl)methylpentanoate was isolated due to its mosquito larvicidal activity against Ae. aegyptii. The compound is a new secondary metabolite, whose structure was determined by NMR spectroscopy and comparison with closely related structures from literature. The compound, (oxiran-2-yl)methylpentanoate, showed strong larvicidal activity against the Ae. aegypti larvae with LC50 of 1.50 ppm and an LC90 of 1.90 ppm after 24 hours. These were found to be much lower concentrations than those reported for some natural compounds recently. These results are of value since search for new natural larvicidal compounds from ascomycetes and basidiomycetes is novel.


Keywords: basidiomycete, submerged cultures, mosquito larvicidal, purification and structure elucidation.


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 1997-342X
print ISSN: 1991-8631