Abstract
In this work, we investigated the larvicidal, ovicidal, and histopathological alterations induced by Lepidium sativum seed extracts in Culex pipiens. Hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol solvents were used for the seed extraction. Only ethyl acetate seed extract was active against the third instar mosquito larvae of Cx. pipiens. The ethyl acetate extract had an LC50 of 27.03 mu g/mL. Egg hatchability was between 95% (25 mu g/mL) and 5% (200 mu g/mL). The ethyl acetate treated larvae showed protruding epithelial cells, and degraded microvilli. The total phenolic content was 0.3 +/- 0.0 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g in the ethyl acetate extract. The IC50 value for extract was found to be 84.7 mu g/mL against HUVEC cells with loss of cellular integrity, and chromatin fragmentation. The infrared spectrum showed several peaks indicating the presence of different classes of compounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to assess the ovicidal activity and histopathological changes in the midgut of Cx. pipiens larvae of L. sativum extracts. L. sativum seed extract is a promising larvicidal candidate.