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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 #249611
Title: The biological activity of a-mangostin, a larvicidal botanic mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 inhibitor

Author
item LARSON, RYAN - Navy And Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC)
item LORCH, JEFFREY - University Of Wisconsin
item Wei Pridgeon, Yuping
item Becnel, James
item Clark, Gary
item LAN, QUE - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: Journal of Medical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/21/2009
Publication Date: 3/1/2010
Citation: Larson, R.T., Lorch, J.M., Pridgeon, Y.W., Becnel, J.J., Clark, G.G., Lan, Q. 2010. The biological activity of a-mangostin, a larvicidal botanic mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 inhibitor. Journal of Medical Entomology. 47(2):249-257.

Interpretive Summary: There is a critical need for new public health pesticides that can effective control disease vectors but are safe for non-target organisms and have minimal environmental impacts. Discovery of new naturally derived compounds is a promising area of research to meet this need. In this collaborative research project between ARS and University researchers, a compound from the fruit mangosteen (a-mangostin ) was identified to cause mortality in larval mosquitoes. Laboratory and semi-field bioassays demonstrated activity of this compound for six mosquito species but it had no adverse effects on mammals. This study has demonstrated that a-mangostin has potential as a new organically derived larvicide for control of mosquitoes that cause disease in man and animals.

Technical Abstract: Alpha-mangostin derived from mangosteen was identified as a mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 inhibitor via high throughput insecticide screening. Alpha-mangostin was tested for its larvicidal activity against 3rd instar larvae of six mosquito species and the LC50 values range from 0.84 to 2.90 ppm. The residual larvicidal activity of a-mangostin was examined under semi-field conditions. The results indicated that a- mangostin was photolytic with a half-life of 53 min in water under full sunlight exposure. The effect of a-mangostin on activities of major detoxification enzymes such as P450, GST, and carboxyl esterase was investigated. The results showed that a-mangostin significantly elevated activities of P450 and GST in larvae while it suppressed carboxyl esterase activity. Toxicity of a-mangostin against young rats was studied and there was no detectable adverse effect at dosages as high as 80 mg/kg. This is the first multifaceted study of the biological activity of a-mangostin in mosquitoes. The results suggest that a- mangostin may be a lead compound for the development of a new organically-based mosquito larvicide.