Evaluation of bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate toxicity on the third instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ) Bg 9

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 2023-12, p.114425
• Main Authors: Gaur, Kajal, Varshney, Himanshi, Subhan, Iqra, Fatima, Javeria, Jyoti, Smita, Siddique, Yasir Hasan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1873-6351

Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, generally known as DEHP is a synthetic compound mainly used as a plasticizer to make polyvinyl chloride products flexible and soft. The present work aimed to study the toxicity of Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on the third instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster(hsp70-lacZ) Bg . The hsp70 gene is associated with the β-galactosidase in our present transgenic strain therefore, the more activity of β-galactosidase will indirectly correspond to hsp70 expression. The third instar larvae were allowed to feed on the diet for 24 h having 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, and 0.02 M of Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate at the final concentration. After the exposure of 24hrs, the larvae were subjected to ONPG assay, X-gal staining, trypan blue exclusion test, oxidative stress markers assays, and comet assay. A dose-dependent increase in hsp70 expression, tissue damage, Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity, lipid peroxidation, monoamine oxidase, caspase-9 & 3, protein carbonyl content (PCC), apoptotic index, DNA damage and decreased in the glutathione (GSH) content, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydrogenase (ẟ-ALD-D) and acetylcholinesterase activity were observed in the larvae exposed to 0.005, 0.01, 0.02 M of Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. The dose of 0.001 M of Bis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate did not showed any toxic effects and hence can be considered as No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for Bis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate. The study supports the use of Drosophila for the evaluation of possible toxic effects associated with synthetic compounds.