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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #377524
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Mosquitoes and Biting Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Insecticidal activity and free radical scavenging properties of isolated phytoconstituents from the saudi plant nuxia oppositifolia (hochst)

Author
item AL-MASSARANI, SHAZA - King Saud University
item EL-GAMAL, ALI - King Saud University
item AL-REHAILY, ADNAN - King Saud University
item AL-SHEDDI, EBSETAM - King Saud University
item AL-OQAIL, MAI - King Saud University
item FARSHOORI, NIDAH - King Saud University
item Estep Iii, Alden
item Tabanca, Nurhayat
item BECNEL, JAMES - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Molecules
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2021
Publication Date: 2/9/2021
Citation: Al-Massarani, S.M., El-Gamal, A.A., Al-Rehaily, A.J., Al-Sheddi, E.S., Al-Oqail, M.A., Farshoori, N.N., Estep, A.S., Tabanca, N., Becnel, J.J. 2021. Insecticidal activity and free radical scavenging properties of isolated phytoconstituents from the saudi plant nuxia oppositifolia (hochst). Molecules. 26(4):1-8. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26040914.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26040914

Interpretive Summary: Plant extracts and oils have been the major source of natural products with biological importance that can be used as alternative remedies for the treatment of infectious diseases or the control of insects that carry disease. Concerns about the toxicity of many synthetic insecticides and the development of resistance in insects require the development of new insecticides and repellents from isolated natural products. We conducted this study with the aim of finding naturally derived, safe, and easily obtainable natural products that could be used for mosquito control derived from plants used in traditional Saudi Arabian medicine. We identified several compounds with limited insecticidal activity against mosquitoes.

Technical Abstract: Chromatographic purification of an alcoholic extract of the Saudi plant Nuxia oppositifolia (Hochst.) Benth., led to the isolation of five phenolic compounds. Two flavones, hispidulin (1) and jaceosidin (2), and the phenylpropanoid glycosides, verbascoside (3), isoverbascoside (4) and conandroside (5), were identified. Their chemical structures were determined based on extensive spectroscopic analyses. Antioxidant properties of compounds (1-5) was assessed by assaying 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity. All compounds exhibited remarkable activity, some with IC50's less than the positive control, L-ascorbic acid. Further, the insecticidal activity of compounds 1 and 2 in addition to 11 compounds isolated in our previous research (6-16), was evaluated against the Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Four compounds displayed adulticidal activity with LD50 values of 2–2.3 ug/mosquito. This study suggests that N. oppositifolia can be considered a promising source of alternatives for control of Ae. aegypti.