Validação de Drosophila melanogaster como organismo modelo para estudos relacionados à ingestão de óleos essenciais de lavanda (Lavandula angustifolia), gengibre (Zingiber officinale) e copaíba (Copaifera reticulata, officinalis, coriacea e langsdorffii)

Abstract

Throughout the years, techniques used for drug development were refined, increasing the interest of big pharmaceutical companies in the production of new drugs from natural products. Essential oils – examples of natural products – are mixtures of compounds that can be extracted from different parts of plants (stem, leaves, flowers etc.). Essential oils extracted from copaiba, ginger and lavender are known for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibiotic activities and, considering the composition of essential oils can vary immensely, even between plants from the same species – there is a necessity to better understand what the better way is to use these essential oils through ingestion and the risks that an overdosage could bring. A way of studying these effects is using a model organism, in this case, Drosophila melanogaster. In the present study, flies from the w1118 stock were exposed to safe doses and overdoses of these essential oils, to evaluate possible behavioral or morphophysiological changes in these animals’ organs. Results indicate that, when exposed to safe doses of the essential oils, there were no alterations on behavior nor the structure of the brain and intestine of the animals. However, when they are exposed to overdoses of the oils, flies have a debilitated climbing behavior and presented signs of neurodegeneration and loss of structure of their intestine. These results indicate that D. melanogaster is a great model organism for research related to the use of essential oils through ingestion, with more studies being necessary to understand their possible therapeutic activities of these oils in human diseases that still does not have a cure or treatment.