Investigating the effects of Allium sativum (garlic), Allium cepa (onions) and Zingiber officinale (ginger) extracts on Drosophila melanogaster drosomycin and diptericin reporter gene strain

Josiah Bitrus Habu, Ponchang Apollos Wuyep and Micheal Gyang Sila

Advancement in Medicinal Plant Research
Published: December 6 2024
Volume 12, Issue 4
Pages 88-97

Abstract

The growing interest in natural products as potential therapeutic agents has drawn attention to commonly used plants such as Allium sativum (garlic), Allium cepa (onion), and Zingiber officinale (ginger), which are rich in bioactive compounds. However, despite their widespread use in traditional medicine, the safety and toxicity profiles of these plants remain poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster, a widely used model organism in biomedical research, provides a cost-effective and efficient system to evaluate the toxicity and bioactivity of plant extracts. This study aims to assess the acute toxicity and bioactivity of A. sativum, A. cepa, and Z. officinale using D. melanogaster as a model organism. The plant extracts were prepared using the maceration method with solvents of varying polarity, n-Hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water. Phytochemical screening was performed using standard methods. Acute toxicity was assessed by monitoring mortality rates at various extract concentrations (100–500 mg/mL), and statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate model fit. Toxicity was determined through probit analysis to calculate the lethal concentration (LC₅₀) required to cause 50% mortality in Drosophila melanogaster strains (drosomycin and diptericin). Phytochemical screening revealed that methanol extracts had the highest diversity of compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and carbohydrates. Ethyl acetate extracts showed moderate levels of flavonoids and steroids, while aqueous extracts were limited to alkaloids and flavonoids. n-Hexane extracts demonstrated the lowest phytochemical diversity, containing only steroids. Probit analysis of LC₅₀ values indicated that methanol and aqueous extracts exhibited lower LC₅₀ values, signifying higher toxicity. Specifically, the aqueous extract of A. sativum had the lowest LC₅₀ (762.24 mg/mL), while hexane extracts had the highest LC₅₀ values, reflecting lower toxicity. Mortality rates increased with higher extract concentrations, with methanol and aqueous extracts consistently causing greater mortality in both Drosophila strains. The higher toxicity of methanol and aqueous extracts was attributed to their efficient extraction of potent bioactive compounds. These findings underscore the significance of solvent selection in phytochemical studies and highlight the potential of these plants as sources of bioactive agents for pharmacological applications.

Keywords: Acute toxicity, lethal concentration, mortality rate, phytochemicals, reporter genes.

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