Toxic and Biochemical Effects of Divalent Metal Ions in Drosophila: Correlation to Effects in Mice and to Chemical Softness Parameters

摘要

The mechanism of toxicity of eleven divalent cations was evaluated by determining the effects of dietary administration to Drosophila melanogaster and measurement of the frequency of lethality at four days, alterations in the developmental patterns of proteins and changes in specific transfer RNAs. The relative effectiveness of divalent cations to kill Drosophila is significantly correlated to the lethal effect on mice and to the relative values of the coordinate bond energy of the metal ions. The resistance of Drosophila to cadmium toxicity appears to be genetically determined since different inbred strains vary markedly. Also the resistance is maximal in the young adult. Two different genetic strains seem to respond to different cations (Cd exp 2+ , Hg exp 2+ , Cu exp 2+ , Co exp 2+ , Ba exp 2+ and Sr exp 2+ ) in a similar manner. (ERA citation 07:005649)