UV irradiation-induced silver nanoparticles as mosquito larvicides

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles have a great potential for use in biological control including antimicrobial activity. The pest control of mosquito Aedes aegypti by means of larvicidal is still necessity in order to diminish the vector of some life-threaten diseases. In this study, polymethacrylate (PMA)-stabilized silver nanoparticles were synthesized by UV irradiation, characterized by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and zeta potential measurement and evaluated for their larvicidal activity toward A aegypti larvae. Through the processes of characterization and larvicidal assay, silver nanoparticles were spherical and in nanoscale size (=10 run). The larvicidal activity of silver nanoparticles was concentration-dependent and supposed to arise from the penetration of the nanoparticles into the larval membrane. The PMA-capped silver nanoparticles at a concentration of 5 ppm exhibited less than 10% survival of larvae within 3-h exposure time. The study suggests that the silver nanoparticles synthesized by UV-irradiation can be employed in biocontrol of pest including mosquito larvae. © 2010 Asian Network for Scientific Information.