Erythrina alkaloids as source of valuable chemicals

The Erythrina genus of the Leguminosae family contains 115 species with morphological variation and great ecological diversity. Around the world, Erythrina species have been widely distributed in southern Mexico and Central America. The genus has been studied for its ornamental or culinary applications [1]. More recently the genus has been evaluated for its chemical composition and its ethnomedicinal applications. The genus contains different phytochemicals as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, alkaloids, or saponins distributed across different plant tissues [2]. The phytochemical composition of the stem bark, flowers and seeds of them have been extensively studied but the alkaloids and isoflavonoids have received special attention due to their structural variation and their biological applications in medicine or agriculture [3]. Herein we report an insecticidal activity of the alkaloid fractions and crude extracts of seeds of Erythrina americana Miller against Trialeuroides vaporariorum, a pest of many crops worldwide. It was observed that: the crude extract and fractions exhibited the same activity or repellence and mortality at 24 h, whereas the liberated alkaloid fraction at 0.1% was the best treatment because the repellence, oviposition and mortality are effective for 6 days. These results validate the use of Erytrina americana Miller in the organic management of crops.

 

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• References

• 1 García-Mateos R, Soto-Hernández M., Vibrans H.. Erytrina americana Mill (Colorín, Fabaceae) A versatile Resource from México 2011; 55: 391-400
• 2 Rasooli I.. Bioactive Compounds in Phytomedicine. 1st ed. Rijeka,Croatia 2011; 163-184
• 3 Díaz-Nuñez JL, Soto-Hernández RM, Rodríguez-Hernández C, SanMiguel-Chávez R.. Repellence, mortality and oviposition of Trialeuroides vaporariorum (West) with alkaloids of Erythrina americana Mill. Agrociencia 2019; 53: 1071-1083

Publication History

Article published online:
16 November 2023