Molluscicidal activity and physiological toxicity of quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs) from < i > Macleaya cordata < /i > fruits on < i > Oncomelania hupensis < /i >

by Wenshan Ke, Chang Tu, Dezhi Cao, Xiong Lin, Qiqiang Sun, Qian Zhang Schistosomiasis is a serious worldwide parasitic disease. One of the best ways to control schistosomiasis is to control the population ofOncomelania hupensis snails. We sought to identify a high-efficiency biogenic molluscicide againstOncomelania with low toxicity, to avoid chemical molluscicide contamination and toxicity in aquatic organisms. We extracted quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs) fromMacleaya cordata fruits. Molluscicidal activity of the QBAs againstOncomelania was determined using bioassay. Our results showed that the extracted QBAs had a strong molluscicidal effect. In treatment ofO.hupensis with QBAs for 48 h and 72 h, the lethal concentration (LC50) was 2.89 mg/L and 1.29 mg/L, respectively. The molluscicidal activity of QBAs was close to that of niclosamide (ethanolamine salt), indicating that QBAs have potential development value as novel biogenic molluscicides. We also analyzed physiological toxicity mechanisms by examining the activity of several important detoxification enzymes. We measured the effect of the extracted QBAs on the activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST), carboxylesterase (CarE), acid phosphatase (ACP), and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in the liver ofO.hupensis. We found that the effects of QBAs on detoxification metabolism inO.hupensis were time and concentration dependent. The activities of GST, CarE, AKP, and ACP in the liver of snails increased si...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research