Bioactivity Evaluation of Plant Extracts Used in Indigenous Medicine against the Snail,Biomphalaria glabrata, and the Larvae ofAedes aegypti

Abstract

This investigation examined the molluscicidal and larvicidal activity of eight plants that are used in the traditional medicine of the Pankararé indigenous people in the Raso da Catarina region, Bahia state, Brazil. The tested plants were chosen based on the results of previous studies. Only those plants that were used either as insect repellents or to treat intestinal parasitic infections were included in the study. Crude extracts (CEs) of these plants were tested for their larvicidal activity (againstAedes aegyptilarvae in the fourth instar) and molluscicidal activity (against the snailBiomphalaria glabrata). The plant speciesScoparia dulcisandHelicteres velutinaexhibited the best larvicidal activities (LC5083.426 mg/L and LC50138.896 mg/L, resp.), andPoincianella pyramidalis,Chenopodium ambrosoides, andMimosa tenuiflorapresented the best molluscicidal activities (LC500.94 mg/L, LC5013.51 mg/L, and LC5020.22 mg/L, resp.). As we used crude extracts as the tested materials, further study is warranted to isolate and purify the most active compounds.