Impacts of (-)-Borneol on Development, Locomotor Behaviour and Reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Plants produce secondary metabolites, especially terpenes, which are important for creating biopesticides. This study aimed to evaluate how toxic the bicyclic monoterpenoid (-)-borneol is to Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830 (Diptera: Drosophilidae). From 10 to 200 µg/larva were applied to third instar larvae, and mortality was recorded. The lethal doses LD25 (25.69 µg) and LD50 (65.23 µg) were used to study how borneol affects the growth, movement, and reproduction of D. melanogaster. Treatment significantly reduced pupation and eclosion rates compared to the control, and resulted in mulitple morphological defects in larvae, pupae, and adult. Moreover, (-)-borneol treatment significantly prolonged the period of larval and pupal development and reduced adult survival at both tested doses in comparison to the control group. Also, the compound reduced the locomotory behaviour of adult males and females in D. melanogaster. Finally, (-)-borneol significantly altered the reproduction of flies through a reduction of the number of eggs laid and offspring. Our results evidenced that a topical application of (-)-borneol to third instar larvae disrupts the development, locomotor behaviour and reproduction of D. melanogaster and might be used as a potential biopesticide.