Alkaloid-rich extract of Buchholzia coriacea seed mitigate the effect of copper-induced toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

AbstractBuchholzia coriacea is known for its anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties. This study evaluated the effect of alkaloid-rich extract of Buchholzia coriacea seed (ArEBCs) against copper-induced toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster. The flies were exposed to graded doses (25 to 200 mg/kg diet) of ArEBCs for 12 days and thereafter, a survival test was carried out to determine the safe and therapeutic doses used in the ameliorative study. For this, flies were exposed to CuSO4 (1 mM) alone or in combination with ArEBCs (25 and 50 mg/kg diet) for 5 days. Locomotor activity and biochemical assays such as glucose (GLU) level, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, malonaldehyde (MDA) and antioxidant biomarkers (catalase and reduced glutathione) were performed to assess the effect of ArEBCs on the copper-induced flies. Copper-exposed flies showed reduced survival rates and disrupted locomotor activity when compared to the control flies. In addition, a significant (p < 0.05) increase in AChE activity, GLU and MDA levels and a decrease in the antioxidant biomarkers activities were observed in the copper-exposed flies. Treatment of flies with ArEBCs mitigated the negative effect of copper on the flies by increasing the survival rate of the flies, reducing the activities of AChE, GLU and MDA. The activities of the cellular antioxidant status were also significantly (p < 0.05) increased. This study suggests that ArEBCs could mitigate the effect of copper-induced oxidative damage in Drosophila melanogaster and could be considered a potential therapeutic agent against copper-induced oxidative damage.