Resveratrol modifies tephritid fruit fly response to radiation but not nutritional stress

Abstract

Purpose: Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene) is a polyphenol compound found in many plants and fruits that has antioxidant and radioprotective properties. Two model invertebrates, Bactrocera dorsalis (oriental fruit fly) and B. cucurbitae (melon fly) (Diptera: Tephritidae), were studied to determine if the addition of resveratrol to an artificial diet could modify their response to radiation and nutritional stress.Materials and methods: Resveratrol at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, or 200 μM of was incorporated into a liquid larval fruit fly diet. Third instars were treated with: (i) A radiation dose of 30 Gy (radiation stress), (ii) a wheat germ oil-deficient diet (nutritional stress), or (iii) left untreated as a control.Results: The addition of resveratrol to the diet partially mitigated the adverse effects of radiation on several life history parameters. In B. cucurbitae, a significantly higher 49–53% of adults could fly when 50–200 μM resveratrol was added to the diet compared with 32% in irradiated flies reared without resveratrol. B. cucurbitae egg hatch in irradiated insects improved significantly from 46 to 66% with the addition of 50 μM resveratrol. In irradiated B. dorsalis, adult emergence was significantly improved from 12 to 29% with the addition of 100 μM resveratrol. Resveratrol did not mediate any of the negative effects of a wheat germ oil-deficient diet in either species.Conclusion: Resveratrol has potential as a means to partially mitigate the adverse effects of radiation treatment under the conditions tested. This study is the first to show that resveratrol can have radioprotective effects in invertebrates.