Abstract

Mosquito are a serious threat to public health through which several dangerous diseases are transmitted in both animals and human beings. The residual spraying of insecticides is the most common method of vector control, but usefulness of insecticides in the control of vector-borne diseases is limited. Majority of the chemical pesticides are harmful to man and animals, some of which are not easily degradable and spreading toxic effects. In recent years interest in plant based products has been revived because of the development of resistance, cross-resistance and possible toxicity hazards associated with synthetic insecticides and the rise of their cost. In the present study molecular docking studies were performed using the secondary metabolites selected from the plant Tagetes erecta against the odorant binding protein of the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito. Results suggested that among the two bioactive compounds, viz., linalool and zeaxanthin, linalool bonded with the odorant binding protein 2L2C producing a good glide score. Whereas, zeaxanthin bonded with the odorant binding protein, but didn’t produced any hydrogen bond. Therefore, since the compound linalool is natural in origin, it may be used in the formulations of mosquito control agents to produce safe and easily biodegradable chemicals.

Keywords

Tagetes erecta, Culex quinquefasciatus, Molecular docking

Cite This Article

Dhivya, R., & Manimegalai, K. In silico Molecular Docking Studies on Phytocompounds from the Plant Tagetes erecta Targeting the Odorant Binding Protein of Culex quinquefasciatus. International Journal for Pharmaceutical Research Scholars (IJPRS), 2(4), 370-374.