Larvicidal activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized using Pergularia daemia plant latex against Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi and nontarget fish Poecillia reticulata

In present study, the bioactivity of latex-producing plant Pergularia daemia as well as synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against the larval instars of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi mosquito larvae was determined. The range of concentrations of plant latex (1,000, 500, 250, 125, 62.25, and 31.25 ppm) and AgNPs (10, 5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.625, and 0.3125 ppm) were prepared. The LC50 and LC90 values for first, second, third, and fourth instars of synthesized AgNPs-treated first, second, third, and fourth instars of A. aegypti (LC50 = 4.39, 5.12, 5.66, 6.18; LC90 = 9.90, 11.13, 12.40, 12.95 ppm) and A. stephensi (LC50 = 4.41, 5.35, 5.91, 6.47; LC90 = 10.10, 12.04, 13.05, 14.08 ppm) were found many fold lower than crude latex-treated A. aegypti (LC50 = 55.13, 58.81, 75.66, 94.31; LC90 = 113.00, 118.25, 156.95, 175.71 ppm) and A. stephensi (LC50 = 81.47, 92.09, 96.07, 101.31; LC90 = 159.51, 175.97, 180.67, 190.42 ppm). The AgNPs did not exhibit any noticeable effects on Poecillia reticulata after either 24 or 48 h of exposure at their LC50 and LC90 values against fourth-instar larvae of A. aegypti and A. stephensi. The UV-visible analysis shows absorbance for AgNPs at 520 nm. TEM reveals spherical shape of synthesized AgNPs. Particle size analysis revealed that the size of particles ranges from 44 to 255 nm with average size of 123.50 nm. AgNPs were clearly negatively charged (zeta potential −27.4 mV). This is the first report on mosquito larvicidal activity P. daemia-synthesized AgNPs.