Fotossensibilizadores no controle de larvas do Aedes aegypti (Diptera : Culicidae)

Abstract

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main responsible for the transmission of dengue. Among numerous alternatives to combat vector, we can cite the use of photosensitizers (PSs) as inactivating of Aedes aegypti larvae. These compounds are able to interact with the light in a specific wavelength, so the cause highly reactive cytotoxic oxygen, resulting in the oxidation of biological targets. The present study had as main objective to analyze the phototoxic effects of PSs: Photogem® and turmeric, in three molecular variations (curcumin, curcuminoids pigment mixture (curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin) and curcumin in sucrose), against Aedes aegypti larvae under different conditions of delivery of the PSs and lighting. The experiments of this study were divided into two stages: i) Photogem® and the three compositions of turmeric were applied in trials of photodynamic inactivation (PDI) in solution. The groups that received the Photogem®, were also fed with two different types of food, in order to verify the influence of these foods on larval mortality. ii) in a second step the three compositions of turmeric were incorporated in pet food, where it obtained a lyophilized powder, which was subsequently offered to the larvae for scanning. After the receipt of the PSs in solution as in the form of freeze-dried powder, the larvae were irradiated with two sources of light: artificial and natural. In addition to the trials of mortality, other studies were performed, such as checking the time of degradation of PSs when exposed to light, the anatomical location of accumulation of FSs in the larvae, and characterization studies of the product obtained in the form of lyophilized powder. On PDI with the Photogem® comparing the foods, exposed to artificial lighting, one of the foods introduced a higher mortality, indicating the importance of this on effectiveness of PDI. Already on PDI with variations of turmeric, mortality rates varied according to the molecular forms of this compound, showing high mortality for curcumin and curcumin in sucrose. In conditions involving sunlight, high mortality rates were obtained for all FSs delivered solution, featuring in various conditions 100% mortality in 8 hours from exposure to light. For IFD using the freeze-dried powder of three variations of turmeric and sunlight, mortalities in the order of 80% were achieved in lighting 16 hours. The analysis of the fluorescence image obtained by confocal microscope showed that both the three variations of turmeric, such as Photogem®, after an incubation period of 12 hours, accumulated throughout the alimentary canal of the larvae. The Photogem®, as well as turmeric showed potent photodynamic activity being more effective in conditions with higher light intensities. Regarding the delivery conditions of the PS, we observe that the highest values of mortality were obtained through the application of PSs in solution, when compared with the mortality studies using the freeze-dried powder. These results indicate that PDI can be a promising technique in the control of vectors as the Aedes aegypti.