Adaptogenic Effect of Terminalia chebula on Drosophila melanogaster
Author : Noorain Fathima, Damini CS and V Shakunthala
Abstract :
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the adaptogenic effect of Terminalia chebula (fruit powder) on Drosophila melanogaster and understand the dose-dependent effect of this medicinal plant on the development of stress resistance in both sexes of D. melanogaster.
Methods: The stress tolerance of flies maintained on standard wheat cream agar media and flies maintained on standard wheat cream agar media supplemented with 250mg and 300mg of Terminalia chebula fruit powder was studied by subjecting same-aged male and female flies to heat and cold stress. For evaluating heat resistance, the number of deaths after heat shock was recorded in each test group. In the case of cold resistance, the recovery time taken by different groups after cold stress was noted.
Key Findings: T. chebula-fed flies showed greater survivability in heat and cold stress compared to the control flies fed with standard wheat cream agar media. In males, T. chebula-treated groups showed a significant increase in heat and cold resistance compared to the control group. In females, T. chebula showed a significant increase in heat resistance. However, the tolerance capacity decreased with an increase in the dosage of T. chebula in female flies subjected to cold stress.
Conclusion: Overall results indicate that T. chebula has the potential to be used as an adaptogen to develop resistance against various stresses.
Keywords :
Drosophila melanogaster, Terminalia chebula, Heat shock resistance, Cold shock resistance
