Iron and iron oxide nanoparticles are highly toxic to Culex quinquefasciatus with little non-target effects on larvivorous fishes

Kadarkarai Murugan, Devakumar Dinesh, Devaraj Nataraj, Jayapal Subramaniam, Pandiyan Amuthavalli, Jagannathan Madhavan, Aruliah Rajasekar, Mariappan Rajan, Kulandhaivel Palani Thiruppathi, Suresh Kumar, Akon Higuchi, Marcello Nicoletti, Giovanni Benelli

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

The control of filariasis vectors has been enhanced in several areas, but there are main challenges, including increasing resistance to insecticides and lack of cheap and eco-friendly products. The toxicity of iron (Fe0) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanoparticles has been scarcely investigated yet. We studied the larvicidal and pupicidal activity of Fe0 and Fe2O3 nanoparticles against Culex quinquefasciatus. Fe0 and Fe2O3 nanoparticles produced by green (using a Ficus natalensis aqueous extract) and chemical nanosynthesis, respectively, were analyzed by UV–Vis spectrophotometry, FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD analysis, SEM, and EDX assays. In larvicidal and pupicidal experiments on Cx. quinquefasciatus, LC50 of Fe0 nanoparticles ranged from 20.9 (I instar larvae) to 43.7 ppm (pupae) and from 4.5 (I) to 22.1 ppm (pupae) for Fe2O3 nanoparticles synthesized chemically. Furthermore, the predation efficiency of the guppy fish, Poecilia reticulata, after a single treatment with sub-lethal doses of Fe0 and Fe2O3 nanoparticles was magnified. Overall, this work provides new insights about the toxicity of Fe0 and Fe2O3 nanoparticles against mosquito vectors; we suggested that green and chemical fabricated nano-iron may be considered to develop novel and effective pesticides.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10504-10514
Number of pages11
JournalEnvironmental Science and Pollution Research
Volume25
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2018

Keywords

  • Biological control
  • Green synthesis
  • Guppy fish
  • Iron nanoparticles
  • Lymphatic filariasis

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