Effect of Sweet Wormwood Artemisia annua Crude Leaf Extracts on Some Biological and Physiological Characteristics of the Lesser Mulberry Pyralid, Glyphodes pyloalis

The lesser mulberry pyralid, Glyphodes pyloalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a monophagous and dangerous pest of mulberry that has been recently observed in Guilan province, northern Iran. In this study, the crude methanol extract of sweet wormwood Artemisia annua L. (Asterales: Asteracaea) was investigated on toxicity, biological and physiological characteristics of this pest under controlled conditions (24 ± 1 °C, 75 ± 5% RH, and 16:8 L:D photoperiod). The effect of acute toxicity and sublethal doses on physiological characteristics was performed by topical application. The LC50 and LC20 values on fourth instar larvae were calculated as 0.33 and 0.22 gram leaf equivalent/ mL, respectively. The larval duration of fifth instar larvae in LC50 treatment was prolonged (5.8 ± 0.52 days) compared with the control group (4.26 ± 0.29 days). However larval duration was reduced in the LC20 treatment. The female adult longevity in the LC50 dose was the least (4.53 ± 0.3 days), while longevity among controls was the highest (9.2 ± 0.29 days). The mean fecundity of adults after larval treatment with LC50 was recorded as 105.6 ± 16.84 eggs/female, while the control was 392.74 ± 22.52 eggs/female. The percent hatchability was reduced in all treatments compared with the control. The effect of extract in 0.107, 0.053, 0.026 and 0.013 gle/mL on biochemical characteristics of this pest was also studied. The activity of α-amylase and protease 48 hours post—treatment was significantly reduced compared with the control. Similarly lipase, esterase, and glutathione S-transferase activity were significantly affected by A. annua extract

Effect of oral intervention of ‘Spice mixture’ on lipid profile and body composition of obese females

Obesity increases dramatically and is related to a variety of complications, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and hyperlipidemia etc. The aim is to evaluate the use of spice mixture as a dietary intervention for 4 months to reduce excess weightand improve the lipid profile on overweight /obese individuals. Spice mixture contains Cumin (Cuminum cyminum), Garlic (Allium sativum), Curry Leaves (Murraya koenigii), Cinnamon (Cinnamomun zeylanicum) and Pepper (Piper nigram). Lipid profile, Hb %, SGPT and Serum Creatinine (SC) were considered as biomarkers. Blood samples were analyzed at the National Diabetic Centre, Rajagiriya and Asiri Hospitals Ltd. A significant weight reduction (p < 0.01) with the improvement of lipid profile was observed after the intervention. The total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and VLDL were reduced significantly (p < 0.05) after the intervention. HDL level was significant and within the normal range. The level of haemoglobin was significant (p < 0.01) and increased after the intervention. SGPT and SC showed a change towards a normal level. The study concluded that the intervention of the spice mixture reduces the excess weight and also improves the lipid profile, increases the Hb % and not affect the liver or renal function of the study participants