Title:Neem-Borne Molecules as Eco-Friendly Control Tools Against Mosquito Vectors of Economic Importance
Volume: 20
Issue: 25
Author(s): Marcello Nicoletti, Kadarkarai Murugan, Angelo Canale and Giovanni Benelli
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Azadirachtin A, biosafety, dengue, filariasis, limonoids, malaria, neem cake, nimbin, salannin.
Abstract: In the near future, a number of molecules employed in insect pest control may
lose their efficacy. Pesticide resistance is an increasing problem of public health importance,
and more environmental-friendly control approaches against arthropod pests of medical and
veterinary relevance are urgently needed. The seed oil of neem, Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae),
contains more than 100 biologically active compounds. Many formulations derived
from them showed biotoxicity, antifeedancy and repellent activity against several important
mosquito species, including malaria, dengue, zika and filariasis vectors. In this review, we
focus on the effectiveness of neem-borne mosquitocides, with the goal to develop an ideal
mosquitocide, that should be effective, eco-friendly and cheap, being preferentially derived
from botanical by-products (e.g. neem cake) easily produced by countries with limited industrial
facilities.
