Parental Lead Exposure Induces Multigenerational Deficits in Survival, Body Weight, Locomotion, and Reproductive Fitness in Drosophila melanogaster
Abduljalil Muhammad Mode
*
Centre for Advanced Science Research and Analytical Services, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria and Department of Biochemistry, Abdullahi Fodio University of Science and Technology, Aliero, Nigeria.
Mustapha Umar Imam
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Federal University, Lafia, Nigeria and Centre for Vaccine Research and Biotechnology, Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nigeria.
Isah Musa Fakai
Department of Biochemistry, Abdullahi Fodio University of Science and Technology, Aliero, Nigeria.
Aminu Argungu Umar
Department of Biochemistry, Abdullahi Fodio University of Science and Technology, Aliero, Nigeria and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University, Uganda.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Lead (Pb) remains a pervasive environmental contaminant with the potential to induce long-lasting biological harm, yet its heritable effects across generations are not fully understood.
Aim: This study investigated the transgenerational consequences of chronic dietary Pb exposure in Drosophila melanogaster across four generations (F0–F3), focusing on survival, body weight, locomotor performance, fecundity, egg-to-adult viability, and eclosion success.
Methods: Wild-type W1118 strain of flies were exposed to 500 ppm Pb for 20 days, and offspring from paternal, maternal, and combined exposure lineages were evaluated under Pb-free conditions.
Results: Body weight and negative geotaxis assays revealed significant body weight and locomotor impairments in Pb-exposed F0 flies (P < 0.0001), persisting strongly in F1 (P < 0.0001), partially in F2, and resolving by F3. Survival analyses showed markedly reduced lifespan in exposed F0 flies (P < 0.0001) and sustained intergenerational deficits in F1 (P < 0.0001) and F2, with the F3 generation partially recovering yet remaining lower than controls. Reproductive assessments revealed significant declines in fecundity and egg-to-adult viability across Pb-lineage descendants, particularly in combined exposure groups (P < 0.0001). Eclosion rates were also reduced in exposed lineages across all generations (P < 0.0001), with developmental delays most pronounced under combined parental exposure.
Conclusion: Pb exposure causes heritable physiological and developmental defects that persist up to the F3 generation, potentially mediated by epigenetic alterations, oxidative stress, or germline effects, highlighting long-term risks and validating Drosophila melanogaster as a model for studying multigenerational toxicity.
Keywords: Lead (Pb), transgenerational, drosophila melanogaster, survival, locomotion, productive fitness, developmental