Impact of Taxifolin on Female Fertility Enhancing Factors against Oxidative Stress in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Oxidative stress is a state of physiological imbalance that occurs when ROS production exceeds antioxidant defences, leading to cellular damage. It can adversely affect female reproductive function by disrupting ovarian physiology, including hormone synthesis, follicular development, and ovulation, and may ultimately reduce fertility. Various factors can mitigate oxidative stress by neutralising harmful reactive species. Antioxidants are among these factors and may support the maintenance and improvement of female reproductive function. In the present study, taxifolin, an antioxidant isolated from the plant Putranjiva roxburghii, was selected to evaluate its effects on antioxidant defence mechanisms in D. melanogaster. Flies were supplemented with two concentrations of TF (0.5 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL) as pretreatments and were then exposed to paraquat to induce oxidative stress. Oxidative-stress induction was confirmed by measuring ROS levels and LPO activity. OS-induced flies exhibited higher ROS and LPO levels. TF-fed flies showed 2.39-fold lower ROS levels and 1.47-fold lower LPO activity than the OS-induced control groups. Two female fertility-related enzymes, Esterase-6 and β-carbonic anhydrase, were measured together with antioxidant enzyme activities under stressed and non-stressed conditions by spectrophotometric analysis. Oxidative stress reduced Est-6 and β-CA levels, as well as SOD, CAT, and GSH activities. In contrast, TF-fed flies showed 1.39-fold higher Est-6 activity and 2.93-fold higher β-CA activity. In the non-stressed state, TF-fed groups showed 1.36-fold higher SOD activity and 1.46-fold higher CAT activity, whereas under stressed conditions, the corresponding increases were 1.45-fold and 1.22-fold. GSH was reduced by 1.25-fold in control groups after PQ induction. However, GSH activity increased by 1.46-fold in TF-fed groups with PQ induction compared with the PQ-induced control and by 1.33-fold in TF-fed flies exposed to PQ. These findings indicate that TF reduced oxidative stress and increased the activities of fertility-associated and antioxidant enzymes. The GSH pool may serve as a co-substrate for antioxidant enzyme activity.