Standardized extract of Piper ovatum (Piperaceae) to control Aedes aegypti larvae (Diptera: Culicidae)

Dengue fever as well as its severe complications is a vector-borne disease transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti. As mosquito control is practically the only method available to control such disease, alternative and cost-effective pest control strategies need to be explored. Thus, this study proposed the production and standardization of Piper ovatum extract and evaluate the larvicidal activity against A. aegypti. The results showed that the main piperine derivative extracts from leaves, stems and roots was the piperlonguminine. Root extract was used to produce a standardized extract of P. ovatum called SEPO that showed LC50 and LC99 of 2.1 and 4.1 ppm, respectively. The piperlonguminine concentration was 13.6%; the maximum activity was observed after 4.2 h; residual activity lasted 20 days, and the stability of the LC99 solution lasted more than 120 days. In addition, no changes in female oviposition behavior were observed. Our findings demonstrated that the P. ovatum roots were a good source for producing a standardized extract with piperlonguminine. The extract known as SEPO showed high larvicidal activity against A. aegypti, good stability, residual activity for more than 15 days, and did not change the female oviposition activity. The standardized extract seemed to be a good candidate to produce insecticides against A. aegypti.