Lepisanthes fruticosa, an edible medicinal plant: Phytochemical profiles of extracts from different plant parts and larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb.) Leenh., locally known as Terengganu cherry, is an edible medicinal plant in the family Sapindaceae. This study characterized the phytochemical profiles and evaluated the larvicidal activity of leaf, stem, and fruit extracts of L. fruticosa against third-instar larvae of Aedes aegypti . Plant materials were extracted using acetone, water, ethanol, hexane, and methanol. GC-MS analysis tentatively identified 138 compounds, with chemical profiles varying according to plant part and extraction solvent. Major tentatively identified constituents included n-hexadecanoic acid, sucrose, lupeol, pentacosane, stigmasterol, neophytadiene, phytol, γ-sitosterol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and sugar-related compounds. Most extracts showed little or no larvicidal activity. Relatively higher activity was observed in the fruit hexane, fruit acetone, stem hexane, and stem acetone extracts. The stem hexane extract showed the strongest activity, with the lowest LC 50 values of 1709 ppm at 24 h and 677 ppm at 48 h. The fruit acetone extract had LC 50 values of 4830 ppm at 24 h and 863 ppm at 48 h, whereas the fruit hexane extract had LC 50 values of 2575 ppm at 24 h and 1210 ppm at 48 h. The stem acetone extract showed lower activity, with LC 50 values of 5287 ppm at 24 h and 2931 ppm at 48 h. LC 50 values could not be reliably estimated for the other extracts because of low or inadequate mortality responses. These findings indicate that larvicidal activity varied according to plant part, extraction solvent, concentration, and exposure duration. Although activity was not high, the results provide useful preliminary screening data for further phytochemical and bioactivity-guided investigation.