NOVEL COPPER-BASED ANTINEOPLASTIC COMPOUNDS: CASIOPEINA II-gly AND III-Ea CAN PROLONG THE LIFESPAN OF Drosophila melanogaster

Aims: Experimental evidence suggested that Casiopeinas®, a copper chelate of new synthesis, can act, at least by three mechanisms: a) by forming adducts with any DNA bases; b) as intercalating agents; c) through the generation of reactive oxygen species due to the reduction of Cu+ 2 by means of Fenton reactions. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Cas II-gly and III-Ea on the time of development as the index of cytostatic activity and longevity as the index of oxidative stress of Drosophila melanogaster.

Methodology: Forty-eight-hour-old larvae Canton-S wild type strain were treated with the following: 0, 0.5, 1 or 1.5 mM of the compounds until development conclusion. One- to three-day-old treated adults were placed in groups of 25 males and 25 females separately in homeopathic vials with standard food. Scoring of deceased individuals was done twice a week; once that data was obtained, survival curves were made and analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: Results indicated that the highest concentration for both Casiopeinas® reduced the viability and rate of development of individuals treated, in inverse relation with the concentration, but it significantly increased longevity.

Conclusion: Results of these two indexes suggested that both Casiopeinas® acted as a selective factor of the fittest organisms.