Oxidative Effects of Gemifloxacin on Some Biological Traits of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Effects of Midazolam on Antioxidant Levels, Biochemical and Metabolic Parameters in Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) Eggs Parasitized by Trissolcus semistriatus Nees (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) is among the most important insect pests of wheat (Triticum sativum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grown in the Middle East. Biological and chemical methods are insufficient to control E. integriceps populations below economic thresholds. In this study, we investigated the effects of midazolam, a clinical drug, on selected metabolic enzyme activity, antioxidant levels, and biochemical parameters in E. integriceps eggs parasitized by Trissolcus semistriatus Nees (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Increasing concentrations of midazolam caused cell damage in the parasitized eggs due to its oxidative effects. Transferase enzymes, such as, aspartate transferase, alanine transferase, and gamma glutamyl transferase activities were altered following exposure. Metabolic enzymes, such as, creatine kinase, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, and lactate dehydrogenase also were adversely affected. Levels of the non-enzymatic antioxidants uric acid, bilirubin, and albumin also were altered.

Biochemical Characterization of New Gemifloxacin Schiff Base (GMFX-o-phdn) Metal Complexes and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activity against Some Phyto- or Human Pathogens

Four novel ligand-metal complexes were synthesized through the reaction of Fe(III), pleaseCo(II), Zn(II), and Zr(IV) with Schiff base gemifloxacin reacted with ortho-phenylenediamine (GMFX-o-phdn) to investigate their biological activities. Elemental analysis, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, UV-visible, molar conductance, melting points, magnetic susceptibility, and thermal analyses have been carried out for insuring the chelation process. The antimicrobial activity was carried out against Monilinia fructicola, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium italicum, Botrytis cinerea, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and P. aeruginosa. The radical scavenging activity (RSA%) was in vitro evaluated using ABTS method. FT-IR spectra indicated that GMFX-o-phdn chelated with metal ions as a tetradentate through oxygen of carboxylate group and nitrogen of azomethine group. The data of infrared, ¹H NMR, and molar conductivity indicate that GMFX–o-phdn reacted as neutral tetra dentate ligand (N₂O₂) with metal ions through the two oxygen atoms of the carboxylic group (oxygen containing negative charge) and two nitrogen atoms of azomethine group (each nitrogen containing a lone pair of electrons) (the absent of peak corresponding to ν(COOH) at 1715 cm⁻¹, the shift of azomethine group peak from 1633 cm⁻¹ to around 1570 cm⁻¹, the signal at 11 ppm of COOH and the presence of the chloride ions outside the complex sphere). Thermal analyses (TG-DTG/DTA) exhibited that the decaying of the metal complexes exists in three steps with the final residue metal oxide. The obtained data from DTA curves reflect that the degradation processes were exothermic or endothermic. Results showed that some of the studied complexes exhibited promising antifungal activity against most of the tested fungal pathogens, whereas they showed higher antibacterial activity against E. coli and B. cereus and low activity against P. fluorescens and P. aeruginosa. In addition, GMFX-o-phdn and its metal complexes showed strong antioxidant effect. In particular, the parent ligand and Fe(III) complex showed greater antioxidant capacity at low tested concentrations than that of other metal complexes where their IC₅₀ were 169.7 and 164.6 µg/mL, respectively.

Ecotoxicological effects of dietary titanium dioxide nanoparticles on metabolic and biochemical parameters of model organism Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Nanoparticles (NPs) are now being used in many industrial activities, such as mining, paint and glass industries. The frequent industrial use of NPs contributes to environmental pollution and may cause cellular and oxidative damage in native organisms. In this study, the toxic effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) were investigated using Galleria mellonella larvae as a model insect species. Alterations in cell damage indicators, such as alanine transferase, aspartate transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, non-enzymatic antioxidants and biochemical parameters, were determined in the hemolymph of G. mellonella larvae exposed to TiO₂ NPs at different concentrations (5, 50, 250 and 1250 μg/mL) in their diets. TiO₂ NPs caused concentration-dependent cellular damage in the hemolymph of G. mellonella larvae and increased the levels of the non-enzymatic antioxidants uric acid and bilirubin. In addition, total protein in hemolymph significantly decreased at the highest concentration (1250 μg/mL) of TiO₂ NPs. Level of the urea increased at the highest concentration (1250 μg/mL) of TiO₂ NPs, whereas the amount of glucose was not affected. These findings demonstrated that TiO₂ NPs caused concentration-dependent toxic effects on G. mellonella larvae.

Effects of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles on Immune and Metabolic Parameters of Galleria mellonella L

In this study, the effects of dietary CuO nanoparticles (NPs) on metabolic enzyme activity, biochemical parameters, and total (THC) and differential hemocyte counts (DHC) were determined in Galleria mellonella larvae. Using concentrations of 10, 100, 1000 mg/L and the LC10 and LC30 levels of CuO NPs, we determined that the NPs negatively impacted metabolic enzyme activity and biochemical parameters in larval hemolymph. Compared with the control, the greatest increase in THC was observed in larvae fed on diets with 100 mg L^-1 of CuO NPs. Plasmatocytes and granulocytes were among the most numerous hemocytes in all treatments. These results suggest that dietary CuO NPs effects the metabolic metabolism and immune system of G. mellonella and provide indirect information regarding the toxic effects of CuO NPs in mammalian immune system given similarities between mammalian blood cells and insect hemocytes.

Drosophila melanogaster Response to Feeding with Neomycin-Based Medium Expressed in Fluctuating Asymmetry

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a model species used for a wide range of studies. Contamination of Drosophila cultures with bacterial infection is common and is readily eradicated by antibiotics. Neomycin antibiotics can cause stress to D. melanogaster's larvae and imagoes, which may affect the interpretation of the results of research using culture from neomycin-based medium. In the present study, fluctuating asymmetry (FA), one of the important bioindicators of stress, was measured. Larvae and imagoes of a wild-type D. melanogaster strain were exposed to various concentrations of neomycin. The size of anal papillae and selected wing veins were measured using scanning electron and light microscopy, respectively. Next, the FA was checked. The values obtained for larval anal papillae appeared to be concentration-dependant; the FA indices increased with the concentration of neomycin. The wing FA presented a large but variable correlation, depending on the measured vein. However, the mean length of veins was the highest for the control group, with neomycin-exposed groups showing lower values. The research showed that neomycin may cause sublethal stress in D. melanogaster, which manifests in increased FA indices. This suggests that neomycin can cause physiological and developmental stress in insects, which should be taken into account when interpreting the results of studies using these model organisms.

The Use of Dietary Antifungal Agent Terbinafine in Artificial Diet and Its Effects on Some Biological and Biochemical Parameters of the Model Organism Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Diet quality widely affects the survival, development, fecundity, longevity, and hatchability of insects. We used the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella (Linnaeus) to determine the effects of the antifungal, antibiotic terbinafine on some of its' biological parameters. The effects of terbinafine on malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) contents and the activity of the detoxification enzyme, glutathione S-transferase (GST), in the midgut of seventh-instar larvae of G. mellonella were also investigated. The insects were reared on an artificial diet containing terbinafine at concentrations of 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 g. The survival rates at all development stages of G. mellonella were significantly decreased at all terbinafine concentrations. The females from a control diet produced 82.9 ± 18.1 eggs; however, this number was significantly reduced to 51.4 ± 9.6 in females given a 0.1 g terbinafine diet. The highest concentration of terbinafine (1 g) completely inhibited egg laying. Terbinafine significantly increased MDA content and GST activity in the midgut tissue of seventh-instar larvae in a dose-dependent manner. Relative to controls, these low dietary concentrations of terbinafine significantly increased midgut PCO content; a 0.1 g terbinafine concentration raised PCO content from 155.19 ± 21.8 to 737.17 ± 36.4 nmol/mg protein. This study shows concentration-dependent effects on the biological traits of the greater wax moth G. mellonella, including the oxidative status and detoxification capacity of the midgut. Low terbinafine concentrations may be possible for use as an antifungal agent in insect-rearing diets.