Effect of Sub-lethal Exposure of Essential Oils of Various Plant Origin Mollusccides on Different Biochemical Parameters of Vector Snail Lymnaea acuminata

Abstract

The incidence of endemic disease fascioliasis can be reduced by effective snail control which is one of the most important tools. Essential oils and their constituents are gaining increasing interest for use as safe alternatives to pesticides for controlling various pests including gastropods. In the present study, some of the essential oils were demonstrated as potent molluscicides against the vector snail Lymnaea acuminata. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the molluscicidal activity of the essential oils of Polianthes tuberosa bulb, Allium sativum bulb, and their active molluscicidal components hecogenin and allicin against the snail Lymnaea acuminata. The effect of sub-lethal treatments (40% and 80% of 24h LC 50 ) of different plant-derived molluscicides on different enzyme activities in the nervous tissue of snail Lymnaea acuminata was studied. It is evident from the present results that P. tuberosa and A. sativum bulb essential oils exhibited as strong molluscicides of plant origin. The present study can help reduce the incidence of fascioliasis. These essential oils may offer an alternative tool for the control of fascioliasis in the cattle population of eastern Uttar Pradesh of India. Snails exposed to sublethal concentrations of essential oils of and compared with the active molluscicidal components a significant inhibition in acetylcholinesterase (AChE), acid/alkaline phosphatase (ACP/ALP), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and Na + K + ATPase activities in the nervous tissue of L. acuminata. Essential oils and active compounds of both the plant origin molluscicides were highly toxic and show significant inhibition in different biochemical parameters to L. acuminata compared with their crude forms.