Investigating the effect of methadone on lifespan up to the fourth generation, fertility, whole body malondialdehyde level and brain tissue damage in the first generation of Drosophila

Preliminary documentation shows that the use of opioids can affect the lifespan and function of the reproductive system. In this study, the effect of oral methadone consumption by parents and the first generation on the level of malondialdehyde in the whole body, brain tissue damage in the first generation, and life span, and the fertility of flies and the transmission of the effect up to four generations have been investigated.

During the laying period and the first generation, parent flies (10 of each sex) were treated orally with methadone (0.1, 1, 5, 10 and 100 micromol) and the positive control group was treated with metronidazole (1 and 2 mg in liters) were placed. The number of live flies and offspring in each group were counted weekly for a maximum of 94 days. The concentration of malondialdehyde was measured in whole body homogenates (30 of each gender) using a commercial kit. Areas without cells were counted in brain tissue sections after hematoxylin-eosin staining.

10 and 100 micromol doses of methadone led to death and 5 micromol doses caused complete sterility of flies. The life span and the number of offspring of flies in a sex-dependent manner decreased after oral administration of doses of 0.1 and 1 μmol/L methadone. The content of malondialdehyde increased to 0.6 μmol/mg only in male flies under the effect of methadone (1 μmol), and the number of cell-free areas in a section prepared from brain tissue increased to 60 compared to 15 in the control group. The effects observed in female flies were different from males.

Using methadone by the parents and the first generation of flies by stimulating the production of fat peroxidation products in the body and brain damage reduces the lifespan and reduces reproduction in the first generation and its transfer to the next generation.