Toxic and genotoxic of melanin in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Aim. Melanin is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Melanin neutralizes the effect of products of lipid peroxidation and takes part in neurotransmitter processes under numerous pathological processes damaging functional neuron structures. Experimental data cannot often account for the mechanisms of melanin action and therefore systematic analysis of all the data published on melanin pigments is necessary for possible employment of melanins for the pharmacological needs. In the present study, we examined the toxic and genotoxic effects of melanin in Drosophila melanogaster.

Methods. To study the toxicity of melanin determined it was analyzed survival, development time and fecundity of flies. For study we used the strain mei-9^a mei-41^D5 / FM7c; mwh, y for the detection of repairable DNA damage in somatic cells, it was employed to determine the genotoxic effects of melanin. Results. Results obtained in the control and experiment with the addition of melanin was not significantly differ. Conclusions.The ability of melanin, obtained by yeast Nadsoniella nigra strain Х1-М, cause toxic and genotoxic effects at the model organism Drosophila melanogaster was evaluated. As a result we demonstrated that the melanin, did not have the toxic or genotoxic effects on D. melanogaster in concentration 3.5 mg/100 ml.

Keywords: melanin, toxicity, genotoxicity, Drosophila melanogaster.