Combating silver nanoparticle-mediated toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster with curcumin

Nanoscale materials display unique physical and chemical properties that enable their assimilation into a variety of industrial and consumer products. Amongst the widely used nanomaterials, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained tremendous recognition for various applications, owing to their extraordinary plasmonic and bactericidal properties. Despite of the extensive usage of AgNPs in various sectors, its impact on human health remains ambiguous. Several studies have established that higher doses of AgNPs are detrimental to organismal health. In order to attain the best from these versatile nanoparticles, a recent advent of green nanotechnology, that is, employment of metal nanoparticles synthesized using plant extracts, has emerged. Here, using Drosophila as a model system, we tested if adding curcumin, a biologically active polyphenolic compound present in turmeric, having multitudes of therapeutic properties, could mitigate AgNP-mediated biotoxicity. We found that co-administration of AgNPs with curcumin in the fly food could alleviate several harmful effects evoked by AgNPs ingestion in Drosophila model. Addition of curcumin superseded reduction in feeding, pupation, eclosion, pigmentation, and fertility caused by AgNPs ingestion. Interestingly, impairment in ovary development observed in flies reared on AgNPs-supplemented food was also partially restored by co-administration of AgNPs with curcumin. Furthermore, substantial alleviation of reactive oxygen species level and cell death was observed in larval tissues upon co-supplementation of AgNPs with curcumin. We therefore propose that curcumin, when administered with AgNPs, can abrogate the toxic manifestations of AgNPs ingestion and hence can be incorporated in various consumer products encompassing it.