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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Studying Aggression in Drosophila fruit flies
Published on: February 25, 2007
A fruit fly model for studying paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy and hyperalgesia
Zina Hamoudi1,2, Thang Manh Khuong1,2, Tiffany Cole1,2
1University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract:
Background: Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common and limiting side effect of an approved and effective chemotherapeutic agent. The cause of this nociception is still unknown. Methods: To uncover the mechanism involved in paclitaxel-induced pain, we developed a Drosophila thermal nociceptive model to show the effects of paclitaxel exposure on third instar larvae. Results: We found that paclitaxel increases heat nociception in a dose-dependent manner, and at the highest doses also obstructs dendritic repulsion cues. Conclusions: Our simple system can be applied to identify regulators of chemotherapy-induced pain and may help to eliminate pain-related side-effects of chemotherapy.
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