Investigating the Optimal Concentration of Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. Extract on Paraquat Induced Oxidative Stress in Drosophila Melanogaster

Abstract

Oxidative stress is associated with the pathogenesis of a variety of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease. Drosophila melanogaster is a commonly used model for oxidative stress as supplementation of the compound paraquat produces the respective model, which can be quantified through the use of a mortality assay. Intake of paraquat increased D. melanogaster mortality to 59.94% after two days of a 10 mM diet. When the extract derived from Trichosanthes dioica fruit, or the bitter gourd, was utilized as a potential antioxidant, oxidative stress-related mortality improved in a dose-dependent manner with treatment. The optimal concentration of the extract was found to be 1.0 mg/mL as it lowered mortality to 36.63%. The change in mortality between an oxidative stress model and one with treatment had statistically significant p-values when the dosage of T. dioica was greater than 0.04 mg/mL up to a dosage of 2100.0 mg/mL. The study not only underscores T. dioica fruit's antioxidant properties in vivo and establishes an ideal concentration for future studies involving the model D. melanogaster but also elucidates T. dioica as a potential candidate for treating a variety of oxidative stress-associated conditions.