Drug Feeding Protocol

Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as the fruit fly, is a widely used model organism in biological research due to its rapid life cycle, genetic tractability, and well-mapped genome. Drug feeding protocols in Drosophila involve administering pharmacological agents to study their effects on various biological processes, including development, behavior, and disease mechanisms. This protocol covers the steps for drug feeding in fly models.

• Collect flies for feeding: Clear bottles the day before collecting; Select the appropriate genotype for feeding.
• Prepare drugs to be fed: Thaw drugs; Add 3 mL water to each vial; Add an appropriate number of drugs to water, and mix by swirling.
• Make fly food in vials that contain water and drug: Place the label that matches the drug you are using on the vial; Add dry fly food to make a thick slurry, water will be absorbed in minutes; Turn on the gas and knock out flies; Put up to 40 flies into the vial; Put the flies in a box in the 25°C incubator.
• Flies are fed 3 doses of each drug. Flies are fed for a total of 10 days.
• Harvest flies at 10 days and fixes in formalin for histological analysis or process appropriately for other studies as needed.

Creative Bioarray Relevant Recommendations

• Creative Bioarray provides various in vitro ADME/PK services, including high-throughput ADME screening, in vitro binding, in vitro metabolism, in vitro permeability, and transporter assays.
• We also provide in vivo drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) services to support drug development studies of in vivo absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drug candidates. Our in vivo DMPK services cover a comprehensive range of different animal studies in several species.

• Fly age and health. Select files of similar age and health status to minimize variability in the results.
• Food medium composition. Use a consistent recipe for the food medium to ensure reproducibility. Be cautious about using additives (e.g., preservatives) that may affect drug stability or fly health.
• Determine the appropriate dose. Conduct preliminary experiments to find a suitable dosage range for your drug. Too high or too low doses can yield misleading results.
• Drug stability. Store drugs at recommended temperatures and conditions to maintain stability and efficacy. Use fresh solutions whenever possible, as drugs can degrade over time.
• Control groups. Always include control groups receiving untreated food to establish baseline behavior and health for comparison.
• Behavioral monitoring. Monitor flies for changes in behavior, activity levels, and survival throughout the experiment. Record any significant changes or adverse effects observed during the study.

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