Evaluation of Toxicity of the Ethanol Extract of Euphorbia antiquorum L. in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Many plant extracts exhibit insecticidal activity and are considered an environmentally friendly mfor pest management. They act through various effects on the target insects, including repellency, ginhibition, and structural and physiological changes. This study was carried out to evaluate the potenEuphorbia antiquorum L. to inhibit the growth and development of fruit flies. The plant extract exegreat influence on the growth and development of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies througdifferent survey criteria, such as the rate of pupation, larval formation, the energy storage compositcarbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and levels of enzymes belonging to the esterase group (AchE, α-carand β-carboxyl) and phosphatase (AcP and AkP) of adult flies after 14 days surveying. At a 15 mconcentration, the extract affected the growth and the development of fruit flies; the number of pularvae was 2.25 times lower than that of the control treatment as a standard food; 80.99% of the flieat the pupal stage and were not able to develop to the adult stage. Total flavonoid and polyphenol cwere determined to be 466±6.35 mg GAE/g extract and 198±2.33 mg QE/g extract, respectively. FroThe present findings show that Euphorbia antiquorum L. has a potential for use as an insecticidal ag.