Ghada Ben Khedher, Marwa Rezgui, Shah Tawaf Ali, Dabiellil Mutwakel, Dawoud Turki M, Bourhia Mohammed, Tebra Triki, Hadhami Chargui, Tarek Slatni, Chiraz Chaffei-Haouari
Laboratory of Plant Productivity and Environmental Constraints (LR18ES04), Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia.
College of Agriculture Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, China.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 May 2;25(1):579. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06626-3.
Moringa oleifera's rich phytochemical profile positions it as a promising natural alternative for sustainable pest management. This study characterizes the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of M. oleifera extracts and, for the first time, evaluates their insecticidal potential against Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle). Extracts from leaves, stems, roots, and seeds were prepared using ethanol, methanol, acetone, and distilled water. Phytochemical analysis identified high levels of total phenolics (7.18 µg GAE/mg DW, ethanol leaf extract), flavonoids (23.52 µg QE/mg DW, ethanol leaf extract), tannins (245.4 mg CE/g DW, acetone seed extract), saponins (13.7%, methanol leaf extract), and alkaloids (30.06 mg atropine/100 mL, water stem extract). HPLC quantification revealed abundant bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids (gallic, caffeic, chlorogenic, and ferulic acids), flavonoids (apigenin, quercetin, kaempferol), flavanols (catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin dimers), and iridoids (oleuroside), with gallic acid, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, and kaempferol as dominant constituents. Antioxidant assays demonstrated significant activity, with methanol root extract showing 71% DPPH inhibition and methanol stem extract exhibiting the highest total antioxidant capacity (36.12 mg GAE/g DW). Insecticidal bioassays revealed ethanol root extracts induced 90% mortality in T. castaneum within 24 h at 30% concentration, outperforming other extracts. These findings underscore M. oleifera's dual functionality as a potent bioinsecticide and antioxidant, advocating for its integration into sustainable pest management. Further research should optimize extraction protocols and field-scale formulations to enhance practical applications.
辣木富含植物化学成分，使其成为可持续害虫管理的一种有前景的天然替代品。本研究对辣木提取物的植物化学成分和抗氧化活性进行了表征，并首次评估了它们对赤拟谷盗（赤拟谷盗）的杀虫潜力。使用乙醇、甲醇、丙酮和蒸馏水制备了叶、茎、根和种子的提取物。植物化学分析确定了总酚（7.18 µg GAE/mg DW，乙醇叶提取物）、黄酮类化合物（23.52 µg QE/mg DW，乙醇叶提取物）、单宁（245.4 mg CE/g DW，丙酮种子提取物）、皂苷（13.7%，甲醇叶提取物）和生物碱（30.06 mg阿托品/100 mL，水茎提取物）的含量较高。HPLC定量分析显示了丰富的生物活性化合物，包括酚酸（没食子酸、咖啡酸、绿原酸和阿魏酸）、黄酮类化合物（芹菜素、槲皮素、山奈酚）、黄烷醇（儿茶素、表儿茶素、原花青素二聚体）和环烯醚萜（橄榄苦苷），其中没食子酸、槲皮素-3-O-鼠李糖苷和山奈酚为主要成分。抗氧化试验显示出显著的活性，甲醇根提取物显示出71%的DPPH抑制率，甲醇茎提取物表现出最高的总抗氧化能力（36.12 mg GAE/g DW）。杀虫生物测定表明，乙醇根提取物在30%浓度下24小时内可使赤拟谷盗的死亡率达到90%，优于其他提取物。这些发现强调了辣木作为一种有效的生物杀虫剂和抗氧化剂的双重功能，主张将其纳入可持续害虫管理。进一步的研究应优化提取方案和田间规模配方，以加强实际应用。
