Efficacy of aqueous and alcoholic formulations extracted from Padina boryana algae against Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae: A comparative study

Abstract

Aedes aegypti is a mosquito species known for transmitting several diseases, with dengue fever being of utmost importance. Controlling the spread of dengue fever remains a significant global health challenge. Other diseases transmitted by Ae. aegypti include Zika virus, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Padina boryana algae were collected from the Red Sea coast south of Jeddah to evaluate the effectiveness of its alcoholic and aqueous extracts against Ae. aegypti mosquito larvae. The algae sample was washed, dried in the shade, processed, and subjected to aqueous and alcohol extraction using a rotary evaporator. The resulting extracts were tested for their larvicidal activity against Ae. aegypti mosquito larvae using standard bioassay techniques. The larval mortality rates were recorded, and the lethal concentration (LC₅₀ and LC₉₀) values were calculated.

The results revealed that both the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of P. boryana algae exhibited significant larvicidal activity against Ae. aegypti mosquito larvae. However, the alcoholic formulation demonstrated higher efficacy compared to the aqueous formulation. The LC₅₀ values for the alcoholic and aqueous extracts were 194.8 and 195.7 ppm, respectively. The LC₉₀ values for both extracts were 653.1 and 656.7 ppm, respectively. This indicates the effectiveness of Padina extracts as an effective pesticide against the larvae of the Ae. aegypti mosquito. Overall, the alcohol extract showed promising efficacy, indicating its potential as a significant component in developing effective mosquito control strategies.