Helicteres velutina K. Schum (Sterculiaceae), a member of Malvaceae sensu lato, is a Brazilian endemic plant that has been used by the indigenous tribe Pankarare as an insect repellent. A previous study has reported the isolation of terpenoids, flavonoids and pheophytins, in addition to the larvicidal activity of crude H. velutina extracts derived from the aerial components (leaves, branches/twigs, and flowers). The present study reports the biomonitoring of the effects of fractions and isolated compounds derived from H. velutina against A. aegypti fourth instar larvae. A crude ethanol extract was submitted to liquid–liquid extraction with hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol to obtain their respective fractions. Larvicidal evaluations of the fractions were performed, and the hexane and dichloromethane fractions exhibited greater activities than the other fractions, with LC50 (50% lethal concentration) values of 3.88 and 5.80 mg/mL, respectively. The phytochemical study of these fractions resulted in the isolation and identification of 17 compounds. The molecules were subjected to a virtual screening protocol, and five molecules presented potential larvicidal activity after analyses of their applicability domains. When molecular docking was analysed, only three of these compounds showed an ability to bind with sterol carrier protein-2 (1PZ4), a protein found in the larval intestine. The compounds tiliroside and 7,4′-di-O-methyl-8-O-sulphate flavone showed in vitro larvicidal activity, with LC50 values of 0.275 mg/mL after 72 h and 0.182 mg/mL after 24 h of exposure, respectively. This is the first study to demonstrate the larvicidal activity of sulphated flavonoids against A. aegypti. Our results showed that the presence of the OSO3H group attached to C-8 of the flavonoid was crucial to the larvicidal activity. This research supports the traditional use of H. velutina as an alternative insecticide for the control of A. aegypti, which is a vector for severe arboviruses, such as dengue and chikungunya.

Helicteres velutina K. Schum (Sterculiaceae), commonly known in Brazil as ‘pitó’, is traditionally used by indigenous peoples as insecticides and repellents. The present work reports on the the phytoconstituents from aerial parts of H. velutina and evaluation of the larvicidal potential of its extract. The compounds were isolated using chromatographic techniques and identified by NMR, IR and LC-HRMS. This study led to the isolation of a fatty acid, one aliphatic alcohol, four chlorophyll derivatives, one steroid, triterpenes, a lignan, and flavonoids, highlighting the new compounds in the literature, 5,4′-di-hydroxy-7-methoxy-8-O-sulphate flavone (mariahine) (15a) and 5,3′-di-hydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxy-8-O-sulphate flavone (condadine) (15b). The work presented here contributes to the chemotaxonomic knowledge of the Sterculiaceae family by describing the occurrence of sulphated flavonoids in this family for the first time. The crude ethanolic extract of H. velutina featured robust larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae, showing that the extract can be useful as a domestic larvicide, just as indicated by traditional use, to combat A. aegypti, a vector insect of severe viral diseases, such as dengue and Zika.

Dengue is a viral disease that affects about 50 million people per year around the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the larvicidal activity of Agave sisalana crude extract in order to develop a new insecticide against Aedes aegypti. In larvicidal activity assays, fourth-stage Ae. aegypti larvae were exposed to different concentrations of A. sisalana crude extract for 3, 6, 12, and 24 h for determining the LC50. Next, we explored its cytotoxic activity by flow cytometry. Furthermore, histological alterations were confirmed by histopathological analysis, and the nitric oxide (NO) production by hemocytes was checked after different periods of exposure to A. sisalana crude extract. The LC50 was 4.5 ± 0.07 mg/mL. In addition, flow cytometry revealed an increase of cellular necrosis (21 and 16.5 % after 12 and 24 h, respectively) in larvae that were exposed to A. sisalana crude extract. The histological analysis revealed cell lysis and destruction of the peritrophic membrane. Furthermore, there was a reduction in the concentration of NO in the hemolymph from larvae exposed to A. sisalana crude extract after 3, 6, and 24 h (5.3 ± 4.3 vs. 22.7 ± 5.2 μM, 4.3 ± 5.5 vs. 25.4 ± 6.6 μM, and 6 ± 1.7 vs. 37.1 ± 7.8 μM, respectively). Our findings show that A. sisalana crude extract constitutes an effective larvicidal agent against Ae. aegypti larvae due to its necrotizing activity in hemocytes and inhibition of the NO production.

The mosquito Aedes aegypti transmits the virus that causes dengue, yellow fever, Zika and Chikungunya viruses, and in several regions of the planet represents a vector of great clinical importance. In terms of mortality and morbidity, infections caused by Ae. aegypti are among the most serious arthropod transmitted viral diseases. The present study investigated the larvicidal potential of seventeen cinnamic acid derivatives against fourth stage Ae. aegypti larvae. The larvicide assays were performed using larval mortality rates to determine lethal concentration (LC50). Compounds containing the medium alkyl chains butyl cinnamate (7) and pentyl cinnamate (8) presented excellent larvicidal activity with LC50 values of around 0.21–0.17 mM, respectively. While among the derivatives with aryl substituents, the best LC50 result was 0.55 mM for benzyl cinnamate (13). The tested derivatives were natural compounds and in pharmacology and antiparasitic studies, many have been evaluated using biological models for environmental and toxicological safety. Molecular modeling analyses suggest that the larvicidal activity of these compounds might be due to a multi-target mechanism of action involving inhibition of a carbonic anhydrase (CA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC2), and two sodium-dependent cation-chloride co-transporters (CCC2 e CCC3).

Viral diseases transmitted by the female Aedes aegypti L. are considered a major public health problem. The aerial parts of Helicteres velutina K. Schum (Sterculiaceae) have demonstrated potential insecticidal and larvicidal activity against this vector. The objective of this research was to investigate the mechanisms of action involved in the larvicidal activity of this species. The cytotoxicity activity of H. velutina fractions and compounds of crude ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of this species was assessed by using fluorescence microscopy and propidium iodide staining. In addition, the production of nitric oxide (NO) and hemocyte recruitment were checked after different periods of exposure. The fluorescence microscopy revealed an increasing in larvae cell necrosis for the dichloromethane fraction, 7,4′-di-O-methyl-8-O-sulphate flavone and hexane fraction (15.4, 11.0, and 7.0%, respectively). The tiliroside did not show necrotic cells, which showed the same result as that seen in the negative control. The NO concentration in hemolymph after 24 h exposure was significantly greater for the dichloromethane fraction and the 7,4′-di-O-methyl-8-O-sulphate flavone (123.8 and 56.2 µM, respectively) when compared to the hexane fraction and tiliroside (10.8 and 8.3 µM, respectively). The presence of plasmocytes only in the dichloromethane fraction and 7,4′-di-O-methyl-8-O-sulphate flavone treatments suggest that these would be the hemocytes responsible for the highest NO production, acting as a defense agent. Our results showed that the larvicidal activity developed by H. velutina compounds is related to its hemocyte necrotizing activity and alteration in NO production.

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Aedes aegypti is a vector of emerging and neglected diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. Helicteres velutina, known as "pitó" in Brazil, is traditionally used as an insect repellent, and several studies have demonstrated its larvicidal activity. The aim of this study was to investigate this species and evaluate its potential ovicidal, pupicidal, adulticidal, and repellent activity. The viability of the eggs was evaluated using different concentrations of the test substances for 25 days. The hexane fraction killed 72.7% of the eggs, while dichloromethane killed 67.7%. The survival of the pupae and adults was verified after 72 h and 48 h, respectively. The LC 50 for the hexane and dichloromethane fractions was 0.12 mg/mL and 8.85 mg/mL for pupae, 8.01 mg/mL and 0.74 mg/mL for adults (tarsal test), and 0.05 mg/mL and 0.23 mg/mL for adults (body test), respectively. Repellency was assessed for 240 min using neonatal Wistar rats on a Y-tube olfactometer. The hexane fraction attracted mosquitoes to the test chamber, while the dichloromethane fraction had a repellent action. The 7,4'-di-O-methyl-8-O-sulfate flavone provides greater repellency, and this finding is similar to the results of the in silico studies that have shown the potential of this substance against adult mosquitoes. This suggests that 7,4'-di-O-methyl-8-O-sulfate flavone may be one of the substances present in the extract from aerial parts of H. velutina that is responsible for the repellent activity mentioned in traditional medicine. These findings provide a better understanding of the insecticidal and repellent activity of the extract, fraction, and compounds isolated from H. velutina against Ae. aegypti, thereby revealing its potential in the development of a more effective botanical insecticide.