ABSTRACT
Garcinia kola, commonly known as Bitter kola, is a medicinal plant containing a rich array of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids and biflavonoids which have diverse biological activities. This study investigated the dietary inclusion effect of Garcinia kola aqueous seed extract on the Wingless and Hegdehog (HH) genes in Drosophila melanogaster. A total of 120 flies were allocated into four groups: a control group without Garcinia kola and three experimental groups receiving 5000 mg/kg, 10,000 mg/kg, and 20,000 mg/kg of the extract respectively. The mRNA expressions of Wingless and HH, were evaluated using semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Survival rates, and motor function, were assessed through survival assay, and negative geotaxis tests respectively. Data analysis was perfomed using graph pad prism (version 8.02, California, USA). Results revealed a significant downregulation of the HH gene expression in group 2 (51.42 ± 1.29) and group 3 (50.9 ± 1.34) compared to the control group (56.72 ± 1.93) (p < 0.05). In contrast, group 1 (59.73 ± 1.72) exhibited upregulation of HH gene expression compared to the control. Expression of the Wingless gene was significantly reduced in groups 2 (28.7 ± 2.68), 3 (70.48 ± 2.09), and 4 (40.68 ± 1.60) compared to the control group (88.89 ± 1.51) (p < 0.01), with group 2 showing the lowest expression, followed by group 4, while group 3 exhibited comparatively higher expression. Survival rates did not significantly differ among control and treated groups 1, 2 and 3 (p>0.05). However, a marked decline in negative geotaxis performance was observed in all treated groups compared to the control. In conclusion, Garcinia kola extract elicited dose-dependent modulation of Wingless and HH gene expression while higher doses impaired locomotor function. These findings underscores the potential of Garcinia kola in modulating critical signaling pathways, encouraging further exploration of its therapeutic applications.
