Contaminação de água potável por arsênio: estudo através do modelo alternativo Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Arsenic is a semi-metal ubiquitously available in the terrestrial environment and considered a risk factor for global health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 200 million people are exposed to arsenic worldwide through the contamination of drinking water at higher levels permitted by environmental legislation. Arsenic poisoning is a worldwide health concern due to its high level of detriment to health. This metal can affect various organs of the body even at low concentrations, including the brain. Epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to low levels of arsenic can cause cognitive and neuropsychological deficits as well as difficulties in learning and memory. Arsenic is the first among toxic agents that pose a significant potential threat to human health based on known or suspected toxicity. Naturally occurring, it is a known, co-carcinogenic poison and, at lower concentrations, has been shown to increase susceptibility to cognitive dysfunction. In this study arsenic was administered through a liquid feed (for 3 days) to the DM seeking to simulate a possible contamination of drinking water by this metal. The toxicity of arsenic to the flies was evaluated through the survival parameters: live DM count during the three days of treatment, locomotor activity: through negative geotaxia, immobilization time and number of crosses. In addition to the dopamine and octopamine analyzes, they were quantified in the brain homogenate of DM using HPLC-DAD. Where it was shown that arsenic at concentrations of 0.05 mM, 0.1 mM and 0.3 mM caused a decrease in survival and locomotor activity of the DM and also induced a decrease in dopamine, showing that it is an effective model for the study of neurotoxicity through the simulation of drinking water contamination by As (III).