The effectiveness of Neem Leaves (Azadirachta indica)

extract as Mosquito Larvae Repellent

Neem leaves
Neem is well-known in the Asian nation for its traditional medical uses as well as
other uses.Most part of the neem tree contain medicinal property and many other
benefits. In the Biswas et al, have been recorded the biological activities for the some
of the neem compounds, pharmacological actions of the neem extracts, clinical study
and plausible medicinal applications of neem along with their safety evaluation.
Products that made from neem trees have been used over years for their medicinal
properties. Neem products are trust by ancients' people to be as an antifungal,
antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, contraceptive, and sedative (D.P. Agrawal.
"Medicinal properties ofNeem: New Findings"). Neem oil is also used for healthy
hair, to improve liver function, detoxify the blood, and balance blood sugar levels
("Neem". Tamilnadu.com. 6 December 2012. Archived from the original on
11April2013.).

Traditional medical use

Various parts of the neem tree have been used as traditional Ayurvedic medicine in
India. Neem oil and the bark and leaf extracts have been therapeutically used as folk
medicine as a general health promoter to control leprosy, intestinal helminthiasis,
respiratory disorders, constipation. Neem oil finds use to control various skin
infections. Bark, leaf, root, flower and fruit together cure blood morbidity, biliary
afflictions, itching, skin ulcers, and burning sensations. As naturally effect ofNeem
Oil from the leaves, seed and bark possesses a wide spectrum of antibacterial action
against Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms, including M tuberculosis
and streptomycin resistant strains. In vitro, it inhibits Vibrio cholerae Klebsiella
pneumoniae, M tuberculosis and M pyogenes. Antimicrobial effects of neem extract
have been demonstrated against Streptococcus mutans and S.faecalis ).These benefits
can promote the effect of antibacterial, anthelmintic, antifungal, and antiviral
(Management, 2015)

Neem Leave extract

The Neem plant extract shows a compatible response against leaf rust with about
98.99% efficacy when applied at a mature stage of wheat under field conditions in
one and two sprays at the 4-day interval. While in seed soaking with Neem extract
and at the seedling stage foliar application reduces leaf rust infection (ACI) and
increases the efficacy of plant extract in controlling the disease. The use of Neem
plant leaf extracts is also effective in increasing the 1000 kernel weight, spike length
and plant height (Shabana et al., 2017).

Neem leaves used in Oman

Neem can be found also in Oman, where the plant is frequent in many towns. The
chemical constituents and antioxidant activities of different extracts from leaves
locally collected were studied and the leaves reported to contain limonoids, as nimbin,
nimbanene and others, i.e. ascorbic acid, n-hexacosanol and aminoacids (Hossain et
al., 2013,)
Reports have evidenced the high complexity of neem extracts, where more than 400
constituents have been identified and more are reported each year (Hatti et al., 2014),
including the differences among raw materials of different origins. Concerning the
insecticide activity of the seeds oil, a group of tetranortriterpenoids named limonoids
are considered as the main active constituents of neem extracts with prevalence of
azadirachtin A, salannin and nimbin, as confirmed by the HPLC analysis (Gallo et al.,
2011, Nicoletti, 2015)

Neem leaves used in Bali

Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the purposes of neem leaves in
Bali and how the Balinese regard the species from an ethnobotanical point of view,
especially for its medicinal purposes of various ailments. In consideration that the
uses in Indonesia are mainly not present in the Indian subcontinent and that this could
be derived from differences in chemical composition, a comparison of the leaves from
the two environments was performed. In order to understand and validate the
traditional uses, we studied the historical background and chemical composition of
neem leaves both from the two environments. In consideration of this complexity,
HPTLC (High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography) fingerprint method is used
in order to evidence, as possible, the total metabolic production (Nicoletti et al., 2012,
Benelli et al., 2014). HPTLC is the last evolution of planar chromatography (Gallo et
al., 2011, Nicoletti, 2011, Gallo et al., 2012),

Mosquito

Aedes albopictus, the so-called ‘tiger mosquito’ is an insect of Asian origin, which
has spread rapidly to other continents thanks to its notable ability to adapt quickly
The infested areas are generally limited since this mosquito generally moves a few
hundred meters from the larval breeding, especially with wind (Ferrarese et al. 2012).
The current methods used to combat and control adult of mosquitoes, family
Culicidae involve the use of both antilarval products applied to water containers and
insecticides which are spatially distributed in the atmosphere and in green areas.
These substances have a negative impact on ecosystems, they are toxic for not target
insects, warm-blooded animals and for humans, and the insects involved have often
developed insecticide resistance (Nicoletti et al. 2012).

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) transmit deadly human diseases like malaria, dengue
haemorrhagic fever, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever, making them
one of the leading causes of human mortality (Mittal, 2014). According to records,
mosquito-borne illnesses cause death of about one million people annually (World
Health Organization, 2013). Under this situation, vector control seems to be the most
effective strategy to reduce the number of deaths. The mainstays of mosquito vector
control include the use of larvicidal chemicals and application of repellents or
insecticide-treated bed nets to keep away the adults. For instance, organophosphates
and insect growth regulators are primarily used to target the Culicid (Family:
Culicidae) larvae. However, widespread use of chemical pesticides has been
associated with the development of biological resistance in vectors and deleterious
environmental consequences (Brown, 2020).
Properties of Neem Oil

Neem oil contains a group of active ingredients with different chemical

characteristics. It was therefore believed that the development of insect resistance
would be virtually impossible. However, as studies have progressed, it has been
observed that due to the low residual power of botanical insecticides, multiple
applications are required in order to control pests, which can increase selection
pressure on the pest population, possibly leading to resistance (; Tangtrakulwanich
and Reddy, 2014; Siegwart et al., 2015).

Neem has acquired commercial recognition due to its various beneficial properties,
which have been extensively investigated over time. Compared to conventional
chemicals, which are generally persistent in the environment and highly toxic,
botanical pesticides are biodegradable and leave no harmful residues. Most botanical
pesticides are non-phytotoxic and are also more selective toward the target pest. In
terms of commercial applications, biopesticides can provide substantial economic
advantages, since the infrastructure required is inexpensive, compared to conventional
pesticides (Pant et al., 2016).

Neem oil is extracted from the neem tree, Azadirachta indica Juss., a member of
the Meliaceae family that originates from the Indian subcontinent and is now valued
worldwide as an important source of phytochemicals for use in human health and pest
control. Azadirachta is a fast-growing small-to-medium sized evergreen tree, with
wide and spreading branches. It can tolerate high temperatures as well as poor or
degraded soil. The young leaves are reddish to purple, while the mature leaves are
bright green, consisting of petiole, lamina, and the base that attaches the leaf to the
stem and may bear two small lateral leaf-like structures known as stipules ( Forim et
al., 2014).