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Cited by 11Insect Pest Control StrategiesInsect Resistance and GeneticsDengue and Mosquito Control Research

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Larvicidal Activity of Hemp Extracts and Cannabidiol against the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti

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Martínez Rodríguez, Erick J., Phelan, P. Larry, Canas, Luis, Acosta, Nuris, Rakotondraibe, Harinantenaina L., Piermarini, Peter M.·2024·Insects
DOI 10.3390/insects15070517PMC PMC11276947
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Abstract

To mitigate pyrethroid resistance in mosquito vectors of emerging and re-emerging human pathogens, there is an urgent need to discover insecticides with novel modes of action. Natural alternatives, such as extracts derived from plants, may serve as substitutes for traditional synthetic insecticides if they prove to be sustainable, cost-effective, and safe for non-target organisms. Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is a sustainable plant known to produce various secondary metabolites with insecticidal properties, including terpenoids and flavonoids. The goal of this study was to assess the larvicidal activity of hemp leaf extract on mosquito larvae from both pyrethroid-susceptible (PS) and pyrethroid-resistant (PR) strains of Aedes aegypti. Another goal was to identify which components of the extract were responsible for any observed larvicidal activity. We found that a methanol extract of hemp leaves induced similar concentration-dependent larvicidal activity against PS (LC50: 4.4 ppm) and PR (LC50: 4.3 ppm) strains within 48 h. Partitioning of the leaf extract between methanol and hexane fractions revealed that full larvicidal activity was restricted to the methanol fraction. Analysis of this fraction by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance showed it to be dominated by cannabidiol (CBD). Larvicidal assays using authentic CBD confirmed this compound was primarily responsible for the toxicity of the hemp leaf extract against both strains. We conclude that hemp leaf extracts and CBD have the potential to serve as viable sources for the development of novel mosquito larvicides.

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Figure 1 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of hemp leaf extract against pyrethroid-susceptible (PS, blue) and pyrethroid-resistant (PR, red) Ae. aegypti. Values plotted are means ± standard errors of the mean (SEM) based on 28 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (1.2, 3.7, 11, 33, 100 ppm).
Figure 1 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of hemp leaf extract against pyrethroid-susceptible (PS, blue) and pyrethroid-resistant (PR, red) Ae. aegypti. Values plotted are means ± standard errors of the mean (SEM) based on 28 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (1.2, 3.7, 11, 33, 100 ppm).CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of methanol (black) and hexane (purple) partitions of hemp leaf extract (orange) against pyrethroid-susceptible Ae. aegypti. Values are means ± SEM based on 12 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (1.2, 3.7, 11, 33, and 100 ppm).
Figure 2 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of methanol (black) and hexane (purple) partitions of hemp leaf extract (orange) against pyrethroid-susceptible Ae. aegypti. Values are means ± SEM based on 12 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (1.2, 3.7, 11, 33, and 100 ppm).CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3 Gas chromatogram of (A) hemp leaf extract and (B) methanol partition (black) with hexane partition (blue) inverted.
Figure 3 Gas chromatogram of (A) hemp leaf extract and (B) methanol partition (black) with hexane partition (blue) inverted.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 4 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of CBD (grey) against pyrethroid-susceptible Ae. aegypti. Values plotted are means ± SEM based on 16 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (0.2, 0.7, 2.2, 6.0, and 20 ppm).
Figure 4 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of CBD (grey) against pyrethroid-susceptible Ae. aegypti. Values plotted are means ± SEM based on 16 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (0.2, 0.7, 2.2, 6.0, and 20 ppm).CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 5 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of CBD against pyrethroid-susceptible (PS, blue) and pyrethroid-resistant (PR, red) Ae. aegypti. Values are means ± SEM based on 16 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (0.2, 0.7, 2.2, 6.0, and 20 ppm).
Figure 5 Concentration–response curves for 48 h larvicidal activity of CBD against pyrethroid-susceptible (PS, blue) and pyrethroid-resistant (PR, red) Ae. aegypti. Values are means ± SEM based on 16 replicates of 6 larvae per concentration (0.2, 0.7, 2.2, 6.0, and 20 ppm).CC BY · PubMed Central

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Metadata

Authors
Martínez Rodríguez, E. J., Phelan, P. L., Canas, L., Acosta, N., Rakotondraibe, H. L., & Piermarini, P. M.
Affiliations
  • College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
  • The Ohio State University (US)
  • College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Corresponding author
Piermarini, Peter M.
ORCID
Venue
Insects
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2024-07-10
Volume
15
Issue
7
Pages
517
ISSN
2075-4450 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/insects15070517
PMC
PMC11276947
OpenAlex
W4400518185
Cited by
11
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 4
FWCI
2.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Insects (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Preprints.org (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Infectious Diseases Institute (idi.osu.edu) of The Ohio State University (OSU) (2023-043)
  • OSU College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), (2023-043)
  • OSU CFAES Wooster Campus (2023-043)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Insect Pest Control Strategies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Insect Resistance and Genetics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Dengue and Mosquito Control Research
Keywords
larvicidal activity, cannabidiol, Aedes aegypti, pyrethroid resistance, mosquito vector control, natural insecticides, methanol fraction, terpenoids, flavonoids

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Martínez Rodríguez, E. J., Phelan, P. L., Canas, L., Acosta, N., Rakotondraibe, H. L., & Piermarini, P. M. (2024). Larvicidal Activity of Hemp Extracts and Cannabidiol against the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti. Insects. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15070517