Abstract

RIBEIRO, Ilda Patrícia  and  GAIVAO, Isabel. Genotoxic effect of ethanol in Drosophila melanogaster neuroblasts. Rev. Port. Sau. Pub. [online]. 2010, vol.28, n.2, pp.199-204. ISSN 0870-9025.

Introduction: The brain is an important target to ethanol, being the excessive consumption of alcohol related to brain damage. It has been shown that the metabolic products of ethanol induce DNA alterations. Thus, although in Portugal the consumption of alcohol is decreasing, we believe that the present study is pertinent. Purpose: To assess the toxicity and the genotoxicity of ethanol in Drosophila melanogaster in vivo using the comet assay. Methods: The toxicity study of ethanol at 0 %; 0.625 %; 1.25 %; 2.5 % and 5 % (v/v) was conducted; then, we counted the adult descendents to assess the rate of survival of drosophilas in the different concentrations of ethanol. Afterwards, the neuroblasts of drosophila were used to evaluate the genotoxicity of ethanol using the comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis). The DNA damage was quantified by determining the following parameters: the percentage of DNA in the tail, tail length, and tail moment. Results: Ethanol did not present toxicity to D. melanogaster, as the number of descendents were higher in all the concentrations tested comparatively to 0 %, hence, the presence of ethanol was beneficial. The higher survival rate was observed in the concentration of 1.25 %, as in this concentration the number of descendents was higher. The parameters assessed by the comet assay showed that in general higher DNA damage is induced by higher concentrations of ethanol. Ethanol showed genotoxicity in the higher concentrations used in the present study (1.25 %, 2.5 %, 5 %). The damages in DNA were superior in the ethanol concentration of 5 %. Conversely, the ethanol concentration of 0.625 % was not genotoxic. Conclusions: The D. melanogaster exposed to different concentrations of ethanol revealed a significant increase in the DNA damage, in neuroblasts, being observed a dose-dependent increase in all the parameters assessed in the comet assay. Thus, the present study demonstrated that ethanol induces DNA ruptures, assessed by the presence of comets.

Keywords : Ethanol; Genotoxic; D. melanogaster; Comet assay.

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