The Healing Effect of Cimin Grape Against Toxic Effects of ZnOTiO₂ Nanocomposite

Abstract

Today, occurrence of nanotechnology is making life easier, increasing the individual happiness and attracts attention to the benefits to be provided by it. As with any technology, nanotechnology also has risks, which are discussed here. In this study, toxic effects of ZnOTiO2 nanocomposite on various growth parameters of Drosophila melanogaster and removal of these effects by Cimin grape (Vitis vinifera L. ssp., Cimin) were investigated. For this purpose, assessment of the number of offspring and the survival rate were performed by feeding flies with ZnOTiO2 (1 mg/ml) and Cimin grape seed and fruit extracts (5 and 10 mg/ml). In the first stage, larvae of the the same age were put into the medium of each application group and the adult individuals were recorded. In the second stage, in order to determine the number of offspring in all treatment groups, in a set of experiments the grape extracts and ZnOTiO2 were only applied to the female members, while in another set of experiments, the grape extracts and ZnOTiO2 were applied only to male members, belonging to the same application group. The total number of flies developed from the eggs laid during ten days of pair mating was counted. As a result, survival rate and the offspring number in the application groups, that were only exposed to ZnOTiO2 were found to show a decline, compared with the other groups. At the same time, the values obtained from the groups, exposed to the ZnOTiO2 and grape extracts together, were close to control group values. This result supports the healing effects of Cimin grape, which is abundant in Erzincan.