Estudio de la actividad insecticida del eugenol y sus derivados o-alquilados frente a larvas del mosquito aedes aegypti

Abstract

Female Aedes aegypti is the main vector for transmitting several tropical diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis and Chikunguya fever. This mosquito acquires the viruses when it bites either an infected person or an infected monkey, subsequently, the mosquito transmits the virus to the others when it bites for blood that it needs to mature its eggs, generating infections in millions of people, hence dengue virus has been considered a pathogen of category A within the biological threats for the planet, especially for the tropical countries. For the purpose of this research, a colony of mosquitoes Aedes aegypti was reared under laboratory condition. The rearing was made from wild larvae collected in Piedecuesta, Santander, successfully getting over all the difficulties to maintain living organisms in artificial condition of rearing. Within this research, one methodology of study for insecticide activity on Aedes aegypti larvae was implemented by following the protocols recommended by the World Health Organization. 22 chemical entities were tested, as well as two solvents, six organophosphorus insecticides, two essential oils, three natural phenylpropanoids and nine synthetic derivatives. The study of susceptibility of Aedes aegypti larvae to insecticides of reference, and its comparison with the reported values in the literature related to Rockefeller strain, showed that in Piedecuesta, Santander, there exist mosquitoes strains resistant to the insecticides. The results of the toxicity studies carried out in this research, such as larvicidal activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, revealed the presence of molecules with behaviour within the categories: very toxic and toxic for A. aegypti larvae of third instars. For this reason, it is considered here that the essential oils as well as the phenylpropanoids, and its derivatives, have the potential to be used as insecticide agents of natural origin, which could be useful to avoid the spreading of this mosquito, possessing a similar efficacy as that of the commercial insecticides.