Zebularin'in Antioksidan Enzimleri ve Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Lipit Peroksidasyonu Üzerindeki Etkisi

Abstract

Cytosine methylation is a process that adds a methyl group to a cytosine residue of DNA to convert it to 5-methylcytosine. Zebularine (ZEB) reactivates hypermethylated genes in yeast and solid tumor cells, with DNA methyltransferases that show a preferential effect on cancer cells. We investigated the effects of various doses (0.25-32 mg/ml) of ZEB, on antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in wax moth Galleria mellonella last instars. Injection of ZEB in last instars G. mellonella resulted in increases in SOD, MDA, and GST levels, in order of magnitude, but not in CAT enzyme activity. Two possible reasons were predicted for these results. This effect could be a result of the inhibitory effect of ZEB on DNA methylation in G. mellonella, which leaded to reducing gene transcription in insects. Or it was likely that high oxidative stress might cause a decreasing activity of enzymes.