Toxicity of Trewia nudiflora-mediated silver nanoparticles on mosquito larvae and non-target aquatic fauna

Abstract

In this study, we synthesized and characterized (UV–vis, XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and AFM) Trewia nudiflora-assisted silver nanoparticles (Tn-AgNPs). The toxicity of T. nudiflora leaf aqueous extract and Tn-AgNPs was tested against Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae and its LC₅₀ values were 121.82/16.69, 130.51/18.11, and 142.38/19.53 μg mL^–1, respectively. Moreover, the biotoxicity was analyzed against the aquatic non-target fauna Anisops bouvieri, Diplonychus indicus, and Gambusia affinis. The LC₅₀ values of non-target fauna were 1064.66–26,537.05 μg mL^–1. Thus, the Tn-AgNPs significantly controlled the mosquito larvae with less toxic effects on aquatic non-target fauna.

Keywords:

• Green synthesis
• larval toxicity
• eco-friendly control
• Zika virus
• dengue

Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project No. RSP-2020–24 the King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ethical statement

Ethical approval for this study was provided by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India. All insects and fish were handled following ethical guidelines.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).