Research on Genotoxicity Evaluation of the Fungal Alpha-Amylase Enzyme on Drosophila melanogaster

Alpha-amylase is an extracellular enzyme abundantly produced from fungal sources. The catalytic activity of microbial enzymes is higher, more stable, and economical compared to plant and animal enzymes; they can be produced in large quantities in a short time and do not produce unwanted by-products. In this study, the genotoxic effect of different concentrations (25 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, and 100 mg/mL) of a native fungal thermostable alpha-amylase enzyme, produced from the <i>Aspergillus niger</i> G2-1 isolate with an enzyme activity of 38.6 U/mg, was investigated on the <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> model organism. The effect of the alpha-amylase enzyme added to the culture medium on the developmental performance of <i>D. melanogaster</i> was assessed through larval toxicity analysis, its effect on DNA damage through the comet assay, and its response to oxidative stress through various biochemical parameters. As a result, it was determined that low-dose alpha-amylase enzyme concentration (25 mg/mL) did not cause intracellular oxidative stress, did not cause genotoxicity, and did not adversely affect growth performance, although feeding with alpha-amylase at 50 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL concentrations caused a significant decrease in the survival rate of <i>D. melanogaster</i> larvae and an increase in DNA damage rate in imagos. However, oxidative stress parameters in adult <i>D. melanogaster</i> did not change after the same alpha-amylase application.