The Effects of Antioxidants on the Climbing Abilities of Drosophila melanogaster Exposed to Dental Resin

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive free radicals containing oxygen that seek to fill in empty spaces within their valence shells. ROS buildup can lead to DNA damage and diseases including cancer, immune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. In contrast, antioxidants, which are found in foods such as asparagus and avocado, prevent ROS damage by pairing the unpaired electrons in ROS before oxidation can occur. Based on this information, we decided to study the effects of the antioxidant-containing foods asparagus and avocado on the climbing abilities of fruit flies exposed to dental resin, a ROS-releasing compound. We carried out this study by dividing the experiment into four groups of fruit fly food media based on the presence of dental resin, asparagus, and avocado, with each group consisting of six vials with five male and five female flies each. We measured the climbing abilities of the flies every 2 days for 6 days by counting the number of flies that passed the climbing line (6 cm) in 30 seconds. The results demonstrated that the dental resin group achieved significantly lower climbing percentages compared to the control group. While the asparagus group achieved higher scores than the dental resin group, the difference was not significant. No conclusions were made from the avocado group due to the thick avocado consistency that stuck to the flies and prevented them from climbing up the vial. The results of this study encourage further investigations on natural remedies for DNA damage and ROS-related diseases.