Abstract

ENHANCING THE MOSQUITO LARVICIDAL POTENTIAL OF CURCUMIN THROUGH COMPLEXATION WITH COPPER, IRON, AND ZINC: SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND BIOLOGICAL STUDIES

Gunasekaran C.*, Sampath Kumar T., Sasi Kumar V.

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Abstract

Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenolic compound derived from Curcuma longa, possesses a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties; however, its practical applications are constrained by poor aqueous solubility and limited bioavailability. To address these limitations and enhance its biological efficacy, curcumin was complexed with transition metals—copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn)—via coordination chemistry approaches. Mosquito larvae, the aquatic juvenile stage of disease-vector species, proliferate in stagnant and sewage water, representing a critical target for vector control strategies. In this study, curcumin was extracted, purified, and subjected to metal complexation under controlled synthesis conditions. The formation of complexes was confirmed through qualitative analytical assays. Larvicidal bioassays demonstrated that all metal–curcumin complexes exhibited significantly greater activity compared to unmodified curcumin, with the zinc–curcumin complex displaying the highest larvicidal potency. These findings indicate that zinc–curcumin complexes, in particular, hold strong potential as larvicidal agents, and future applications may involve their integration into sewage and stagnant water treatment systems to suppress mosquito breeding and mitigate vector-borne disease transmission.

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