Intrinsic studies of Euphorbia antiquorum L. latex extracts against human bacterial pathogens and mosquito vector Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

- Latex was collected and extracted with solvents chloroform, methanol and water.
- Latex extracts exhibited effective inhibitory activity against gram positive and negative pathogens.
- The larvicidal activity of E.antiquorum latex extracts against A.aegypti and C.quinquefasciatus was determined. (LC50 68−110 ppm).
- From the study, chloroform extract performed superior activity than methanol and water.
- FTIR and GC-MS analysis of chloroform latex extract identified squalene compound present in the extract.

At present scenario, due to the rapid outbreak of endemic diseases and developing resistance against infectious diseases drive the researchers to search for new natural insecticides from plant origins. Plant latex is a naturally abundant resource secreted by laticifer cells containing various groups of secondary metabolites having diverse biological activities. The aim of this study is to evaluate antimicrobial and mosquitocidal activity of the latex extracts of Euphorbia antiquorum. The chloroform, methanol and aqueous latex extract were screened for their toxicity against developmental stages of mosquito larvae and pathogenic bacteria. The latex extracts responded good inhibitory activity against the tested human pathogens. In the mosquitocidal study, the latex extracts, particular chloroform extract show dose-dependent activity and causing 100% mortality in 24hr against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. In addition, the chloroform extract was subjected to phytochemical profiling studies. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis infers the presence of aliphatic, aromatic, ketones, phenols, alcohols, esters, ethers, proteins and terpenoids. Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the chloroform extract gave a tentative identification of 82 compounds. Squalene, a terpenoid was identified as the major compound in the GC-MS spectrum that could be attributed to enhanced bactericidal and larvicidal activity. These results suggest that latex is an effective stratagem to combat the diseases caused by vectors and microbes and need further investigation for the development of an effective insecticide.

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