The effect of Calendula officinalis extract on morpho-functional parameters of Drosophila melanogaster dystrophin mutants

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7124/FEEO.v38.1807
Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, Calendula officinalis L., lifespan, locomotor activity, muscular dystrophy

Abstract

Aim. It was investigated the effects of Calendula officinalis L. extract on morpho-functional parameters and lifespan (LS) of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen as a model object. Methods. The study was condunted using Oregon R (wild type) and DysDf/TM6Tb (mutant) strains. Survival, lifespan, locomotor activity and the histological state of the indirect flight muscles were assessed. Results. Supplementation of the culture medium with C. officinalis extract (1 : 10 and 1 : 20, v : v) significantly increased individual survival: the eclosion rate of mutants increased by 44% compared to 19–21% of the wild-type strain. No significant differences were observed between the effects of the two concentrations of extract. Consumption of the extract (1 : 10) led to a significant increase the LS of mutant and maintenance their locomotor function at the middle stages of ontogenesis. Histological analysis confirmed the myoprotective effect of the extract: the proportion of structurally intact muscle segments in 20-day-old mutants of the experimental group was 19% higher than in the control. Conclusions. C. officinalis extract exhibits gero- and myoprotective effects by slowing muscle degeneration and maintaining the locomotor activity in dystrophin-null mutants. These findings suggest that the extract is a promising candidate for the correction of muscle pathologies.

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