In vivo developmental and antioxidant effects of some Salvia species on Drosophila melanogaster

Medicinal plants have long served as valuable sources of therapeutic agents, primarily due to their antioxidant and antigenotoxic properties. Turkey, known for its rich biodiversity and diverse climatic conditions, hosts approximately 10000 plant species with nearly 400 possessing medicinal potential. Among these, species of the genus Salvia are particularly prominent, traditionally used to treat a wide range of ailments including gastrointestinal, respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and cognitive disorders. In this study, it is the first time that the developmental toxicity and in vivo antioxidant activities of aqueous methanolic, ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of S. candidissima subsp. candidissima subsp. candidissima, S. multicaulis, S. suffruticosa and S. syriaca were evaluated using Drosophila melanogaster (larvae, pupae and adult). Developmental toxicity was assessed by measuring percentage of puparation, eclosion and overall survival. In vivo antioxidant activity was determined using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. The results indicated that none of the extracts of S. suffruticosa except the methanolic extract affected the puparation and survival rates (p>0.05), while other plant extracts negatively influenced the normal developmental processes. All extracts of S. suffruticosa demonstrated high in vivo antioxidant capacities ( 80 % activity) according to the ABTS test, while methanolic and ethanolic extracts of S. candidissima subsp. candidissima, S. multicaulis and S. syriaca showed high antioxidant activities according to DPPH test (>50-70 % activity). FRAP test also showed that the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacities reported here for S. multicaulis (0.0025–0.0060 g TE/g) and S. suffruticosa (0.0049–0.0061 g TE/g) indicate strong antioxidant potential. To conclude the results of the in vivo antioxidant activity, it is demonstrated in this study that the studied plant extracts didn’t harm the physiological antioxidant system (balance) of the whole organism and the studied Salvia species have strong potential for the development of effective natural antioxidant supplements.