Bioactivity, Qualitative and Quantitative Components of Alstonia Boonei Leaf Extracts on Anopheles Mosquito Larvae in Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria the most common disease in Africa is transmitted by the bites of female Anopheles mosquito. Different control measures have been applied to combat the spread of this infection including biological control measures. Our research focused on the use of water, ethanol and methanol extracts of a local medicinal plant; Alstonia boonei for 24 hours in vitro on different instars of mosquito larvae. The qualitative and quantitative components of these plants were also determined. The highest mortality was recorded in the ethanol treated larvae. Lethal concentration (LC) at LC50 and LC75 varied with the different extracts and instars. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of some chemicals that are insecticidal such as tannins, saponin and alkaloids. The quantitative components of these chemicals were also seen to vary significantly. Conclusively, our study revealed that the use of Alstonia boonei as vector control agents can reduce the spread of malaria infection.