The control of filariasis vectors has been enhanced in several areas, but there are main challenges, including increasing resistance to insecticides and lack of cheap and eco-friendly products. The toxicity of iron (Fe) and iron oxide (FeO) nanoparticles has been scarcely investigated yet. We studied the larvicidal and pupicidal activity of Fe and FeO nanoparticles against Culex quinquefasciatus. Fe and FeO nanoparticles produced by green (using a Ficus natalensis aqueous extract) and chemical nanosynthesis, respectively, were analyzed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD analysis, SEM, and EDX assays. In larvicidal and pupicidal experiments on Cx. quinquefasciatus, LC of Fe nanoparticles ranged from 20.9 (I instar larvae) to 43.7 ppm (pupae) and from 4.5 (I) to 22.1 ppm (pupae) for FeO nanoparticles synthesized chemically. Furthermore, the predation efficiency of the guppy fish, Poecilia reticulata, after a single treatment with sub-lethal doses of Fe and FeO nanoparticles was magnified. Overall, this work provides new insights about the toxicity of Fe and FeO nanoparticles against mosquito vectors; we suggested that green and chemical fabricated nano-iron may be considered to develop novel and effective pesticides.
A simple surfactant and calcination free phase transformation from hematite to magnetite and lithium ferrite with a number of different morphologies was obtained.
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