Acetylcholinesterase inhibition mediated the larvicidal activity of Mangifera indica extract against Culex quinquefasciatus

Abstract The study was formulated to identify the effect of Mangifera indica leaf extract in inhibiting the growth and metamorphosis of Culex quinquefasciatus larva. Bioassay-guided extraction identified the bioactive fraction, after which GC-MS characterized it. The larvicidal activity was analyzed by administrating extract in various concentrations and then subjecting the mortality rate for probit analysis. The morphological and physiological impact upon larvae was understood by histological analysis and acetylcholinesterase activity assay. The results suggested that the extract possessed a high degree of larvicidal activity, whereas the Dose50 was 225.158 ± 15.168 with a Total Chi-Square of 13.09 and p-value of 0.11. The histological studies revealed notable aberrations among the study subjects compared to the control group due to diminished abdominal tissue integrity. It was also observed that the extract could inhibit the acetylcholinesterase activity, with an LD 50 of 0.9512 µg/ml. The observations made in these studies may be utilized to develop a potential larvicidal agent that could act upon multiple targets.