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Journal of Mosquito Research
2013, Vol.3, No.10, 71-75 http://jmr.sophiapublisher.com
Research Report
Open Access
Ultrastructural Effects of
Matricharia chamomella
Extracts on Cuticle of 3
rd
Larval Instar of
Culex quinquiefasciatus
Areej Abdulkareem Alkhalaf
Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh- Saudi Arabia
Author email: aj_khalaf@yahoo.com;
Journal of Mosquito Research, 2013, Vol.3, No.10 doi: 10.5376/jmr.2013.03.0010
Copyright
© 2013 Areej Abdulkareem Alkhalaf. This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The present study aimed to estimate the effect of botanical extracts on the cuticle of the 3
rd
larval instar of
Cx.
quienqufasciatus
, by using the LC
50
of the methanol extract of
Matricharia chamomella
for periods of 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours
and 48 hours. The ultrastructural studies on the cuticle indicated that the larva were affected according the time elapse after exposure
to the LC
50
of the extracts, these effects appeared in separating epicuticle from cuticle, then the spaces between the epicuticle and
exocuticle were increased after 12 hours.
Keywords
Mosquito;
Matricharia chamomella
;
Culex quinquefasciatus
; Ultrastructural
Introduction
Culex quinquefasciatus
is one of the most important
pests medically because it transmits diseases to
mankind and animals (Goddard et al., 2003; Zinser et
al., 2004).
Insects have become the most diverse and numerous
animal groups partly because of the evolution of a
multifunctional integument, which provides for
growth, mobility, protection and communication
(Kramer et al., 1988).
Insect cuticle is a highly adaptive material that fulfils
a wide spectrum of different functions. Cuticle does
not only build the exoskeleton with diverse moveable
parts but is also an important component of a stunning
variety of mechanosensory receptors. Therefore,
the mechanical properties of these specialized
cuticular systems are of crucial importance (Müller
et al., 2008).
The insect cuticle is a bio composite material with a
remarkable range of physical properties. Insect
cuticles can be flexible or rigid; ductile or hard,
porous or impermeable. An insect cuticle is composed
of chitin nanofibers, proteins, water, and polyphenols
along with trace amounts of metals, lipids and
waxes (Gorb, 2001).
In view of the dangerous diseases transmitted by
mosquitoes, efforts exerted to control them. Medically
and veterinary, mosquitoes control became an important
issue all over world. Botanical insecticides are from the
promising material (Gorb, 2001).
The effectiveness of insecticide mosquito larvae from
plant extracts led to the exploitation of different types
of plants to control mosquitoes in communities in
different parts of the world by a number of researchers
(Pathak et al., 2000; Sun et al., 2001; Singh et al.,
2002 and 2006; Sivagnanaame and Kalyanasundaram,
2004; Obomanu et al., 2006). The fine structure and
the distribution of an esterase have been studied in
the cuticle of
Culex quinquefasciatus
larvae. The
present study aimed to describe the cuticle surface
of the 3
rd
larval instar of
Cx. quienqufasciatus
, to
Preferred citation for this article:
Areej Abdulkareem Alkhalaf, 2013, Ultrastructural Effects of
Matricharia chamomella
Extracts on Cuticle of 3
rd
Larval Instar of
Culex quinquiefasciatus
,
Journal of Mosquito Research, Vol.3, No.10 71-75 (doi: 10.5376/jmr.2013.03.0010)
Received: 26 Mar., 2013
|
Accepted: 13 Apr., 2013
|
Published: 24 Jun., 2013
Journal of Mosquito Research