Neurotoxicity of fungal volatile organic compounds in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Neurotoxicity of fungal volatile organic compounds in

Drosophila melanogaster.

Inamdar AA, Masurekar P, JW. Toxicol Sci. 2010

Jul 19. [Epub ahead of print]

Department of Plant Biology and Pathology,

Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Abstract

Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are

found in indoor environment as products of microbial metabolism. In damp indoor

environments, fungi are associated with poor air quality. Some epidemiological

studies have suggested that microbial VOCs have a negative impact on human

health. Our study was designed to provide a reductionist approach towards

studying fungal VOC-mediated toxicity using the inexpensive model organism,

Drosophila melanogaster and pure chemical standards of several important fungal

VOCs. Low concentrations of the following known fungal VOCs: 0.1% of

1-octen-3-ol and 0.5% of 2-octanone, 2,5 dimethylfuran, 3-octanol and

trans-2-octenal caused locomotory defects and changes in GFP- and

antigen-labeled dopaminergic neurons in adult Drosophila melanogaster.

Locomotory defects could be partially rescued with L-DOPA. Ingestion of the

antioxidant, Vitamin E, improved the survival span and delayed the VOC-mediated

changes in dopaminergic neurons indicating that the VOC-mediated toxicity was

due, in part, to generation of reactive oxygen species.

PMID: 20643751 [PubMed - as supplied by

publisher]