Molluscicidal activity of crude water and hexane extracts of Hypericum species to snails (Radix peregra)

In spite of intense research on both chemical constituency and biological activity of Hypericum species, potential applications of their active components for pest control have been less well investigated. In the present study, Hypericum androsaemum (tutsan), Hypericum foliosum (malfurada), and Hypericum undulatum (wavy St. John's wort) aqueous and hexane extracts were studied for their molluscicidal and ovicidal activities against Radix peregra. The molluscicidal activity of the aqueous extracts was low, except for H. androsaemum infusion (median lethal concentration [LC50]adults = 317.1 ppm; LC50juveniles = 415 ppm), and less important compared with the toxicity of all three hexane extracts tested: H. androsaemum (LC50adults = 30.47 ppm; LC50juveniles = 73.25 ppm), H. undulatum (LC50adults = 30.55 ppm; LC50juveniles = 60.54 ppm), and H. foliosum (LC50adults = 48.61 ppm; LC50juveniles = 38.81 ppm). An ovicidal effect was observed only with H. androsaemum infusion (1.85% of hatching at 500 ppm) and H. foliosum hexane extract (0.0% of hatching at 100 ppm). A preliminary phytochemical investigation of the lipophylic extracts from these Hypericum sp. revealed a different chemical profile and confirmed the presence of ursolic acid only in H. undulatum as the main compound. The present study indicates that products from hexane extracts of the Hypericum sp. analyzed may be used as potential molluscicides to control snails responsible for transmitting fasciolosis. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:748–753. © 2011 SETAC