Cholesterol Uptake Targeted Growth Regulation to Control Disease
Transmitting Vector Populations
Sarvananda Letchuman
1*
, Amal D Premarathna
2
1
Department of Veterinary Biochemistry,University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka;
2
School of Natural Sciences and Health,
Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
ABSTRACT
Cholesterol is one of the vital compounds required maintain principal metabolic pathways and structural material in
the human and animal body. Insects are lack of the essential enzymes required for the biosynthesis of cholesterol
from precursor molecules in nature and which makes them depend on dietary cholesterol. Thus the blocking of
cholesterol uptake interfere the metabolic pathways of insects and effects on the survival of the them. Based on this
characteristic nature, certain phytochemicals can be applied to inhibit Aegypti Sterol Carrier Protein 2 (AeSCP-2)
activity via competitive binding and proven to have effective insecticidal activities against disease transmitting
mosquitoes and other insect vectors. Range of candidate compounds and plant sources, that block the cholesterol
uptake in insects, can effectively be used to prevent and spread of vector born disease have been discussed.
Keywords: Mosquito Vector control Vector borne diseases Cholesterol digestion
INTRODUCTION
A diverse array of tropical vector borne diseases are transmitted
to human through the infected arthropods. Memberes of
arthropods of mosquitoes, sand flies, house fly, blackfly, tsetse
fly and kissing bugs are mainly responsible for some of the most
virulent vector borne diseases in the world [1]. Furthermore,
mosquitoes are considered to be the most dangerous group of
insects as different species of mosquitoes transmits a range of
diseases to man and animal including malaria, dengue,
lymphatic filariasis, dirofilariasis and Japanese encephalitis [2].
Moreover, other arthropads transmit diseases such as
leishmaniasis (sand flies), enteric diseases (house flies),
onchocerciasis (blackfly), trypanosomiasis (tsetse fly) and chagas
disease (kissing bugs). Strategic approach to preveting and
controlling of vector borne diseases are not only limited to
treating patinets but also are mainly depending contol of vector
population1. During the pre-dichlorodiphenyltricholoethane
(DDT) era, the main vector control stratergies were
environmental friendly and biological controlled methods of
drainage of swamps and other mosquito breeding sites, clearing
of vegetation’s to remove vector resting places and various other
traditional means [3,4]. However, discovery of DDT made it
looks like the most relieving discovery of the history until the
uncontrolled use of this chemical resulted very serious damages
to the ecosystems and animals. Consequently, DDT resistant
mosquitoes resulted due to mutations1. This example indicates
the inability of using of chemicals as a solution to control of
vector borne diseases5. Further, insecticides and other chemical
resistant arthropod vectors are emerged as a result of long term
usage of chemicals to control arthropod density in the
environment. Therefore, it is utmost important to invent
environmentally friendly and more effective novel insecticides to
prevent and minimize any chance of development of a resistance
among the arthropods. Insecticides target various metabolic
pathways in arthropods that essential for the survival and for the
maintenance of their life cycle. In addition, insects that expose
to the particular insecticide become incapable of producing the
cholesterol which acts as an essential compound in their body
structures and as a precursor for molting hormones within their
bodies. This makes them dependable on the external sources of
cholesterol [5]. Therefore, if there is a process which makes them
unable to uptake cholesterol, will be fatal to the target insect. A
literature search was carried out in PubMed Central (PMC)
looking for research articles that describe pre-clinical studies of
inhibition of cholesterol uptake in arthropods. The following
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ISSN: 2161-0983
Entomology, Ornithology &
Herpetology: Current Research
Mini-Review
Correspondence to: Sarvananda Letchuman, Department of Veterinary Biochemistry, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya , Sri Lanka, E-mail:
sarvacool18@gmail.com
Received: September 06, 2021; Accepted: September 20, 2021; Published: September 27, 2021
Citation: Letchuman S, Premarathna AD (2021) Cholesterol Uptake Targeted Growth Regulation to Control Disease Transmitting Vector
Populations. Entomol Ornithol Herpetol. 10: 245.
Copyright: © 2021 Letchuman S, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Entomol,Ornithol&Herpetol, Vol.10 Iss.8 No:1000245 1
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