Abstract:
Our workaims to study the toxic effect of the desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) collected in the southern Algerian Sahara, on the larvae of mosquito Culex pipiens from the wilaya of Ghardaïa. For thisfact, we have prepared raw aqueous extracts of the leaves and kernels of the fruit of Balanites aegyptiaca and investigated their compositions and theireffects on the mortality rate compared to the controls and on the cholinesterase activity. The extraction yield results show edthat the percentage of kernels secondary metabolites of fruits (12.60± 0.10%) is high compared to leaves (8.47 ±00%). Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of several families of secondary metabolites, the leaves and kernels of the fruit are composed of high levels of coumarin, sterol, polyterpenes, alkaloids and steroids, thussaponins are more abundant in the kernel of the fruits compared to the leaves, but the essential oilsresideonly in the leaves. According to previousstudies, mortality increase swith dose and time, and kernel of the fruits extractisfound to be more toxic, with 95% mortality than leaf extract, which has 92% mortality. Thusseveral studies show that the aqueous extract of several organic solvents of leaves and kernels of fruits of B. agyptiaca causes an inhibition of cholinesterase activity in mosquito larvae.
