Effects of lead on the development of Drosophila melanogaster

Background and Purpose: Lead as a heavy metal and environmental pollutant causes sperm abnormalities, organogenesis, morphogenesis disorders and miscarriage. There are some similarities between mammals and Drosophila melanogaster. The present study is to investigate the lead-ion effects on some developmental aspects of Drosophila as a model. Materials and Methods: Five pairs of three-day flies were added to the culture containing different concentrations of lead-ion to mate and lay eggs. Transformation rate of larvae to pupa, pupa to adult, the required time for insect development and morphometric changes as well as eggs hatching rate for insects that developed in culture containing lead-ion were studied. Results: Culture-medium lead-ion (20-300 mg/L) increased larvae and pupae periods, but decreased the conversion rate of larvae to pupa, pupa to adult and eggs hatching. It also decreased the growth rate of larvae length/width, pupa length/width and adult length. The results show that eggs length/width did not change. Conclusion: Factors such as the lead-ion interference with enzymes performances were involved in metamorphosis, reducing the mitochondrial cristae and ATP synthesis. In addition, the negative effect of lead on the production of growth hormones, metabolic enzymes and genes expression are the suggesting aspects for future study.