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ABSTRACT
Piper guineense (West African black pepper) is widely recognized for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. The FER1HCH gene plays a role in the regulation of oxidative stress by encoding ferritin, a protein involved in iron storage and detoxification, thus protecting cells from oxidative damage. Peroxidase enzymes are also key indicators of antioxidant activity. This study aimed at assessing FER1HCH gene and peroxidase activity in Drosophila melanogaster treated with aqueous extract of Piper guineense. A total of 1020 Drosophila melanogaster were used for survival studies, negative geotaxis performance, gene expression and biochemical analysis. The groups were designated as the Control Group with Group A, B and C representing 500mg/kg, 250mg/kg and 125mg/kg of Piper guineense extract respectively. mRNA of FER1HCH and glutathione peroxidase activity were determined using polymerase chain reaction and colorimetric method respectively. Data generated was analyzed using graph pad prism (version 8.0, California, USA). The result showed that there were no statistically significant changes in survival rates and negative geotaxis among all the studied groups (p>0.05). The groups administered 500mg, 250mg and 125mg of Piper guineense had significantly higher expression of FER1HCH when compared to the control group (p<0.05). However, the groups administered lower doses of Piper guineense (250mg/kg and 125mg/kg) had significantly lower expression of FER1HCH when compared to the group administered the high dose (500mg/kg) (p<0.05). For the concentration of glutathione peroxidase. Group A (500 mg/kg) had a GPx activity of 0.11 ± 0.03 nmol/min, which was not significantly different from the control (p > 0.05). Group B (250 mg/kg) had a significantly lower GPx activity of 0.06 ± 0.01 nmol/min compared to the control (t = 0.03, p < 0.05). Group C (125 mg/kg) had a GPx activity of 0.08 ± 0.01 nmol/min, which was not significantly different from the control (p > 0.05). In conclusion, this study revealed that administration of Piper guineense led to alterations in FER1HCH gene expression and slight effect on glutathione peroxidase concentration.
