This study was focused on gaining insights into the mechanism by which the herbicide- Spectracide®, induces oxidative stress and alters behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. Exposure to Spectracide® (50%) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the negative geotaxis response, jumping behavior and dampened locomotor activity rhythm in adult flies compared to non-exposed flies. Protein carbonyl levels indicative of oxidative damage increased significantly coupled with down-regulation of Sniffer gene expression encoding carbonyl reductase (CR) and its activity in Spectracide®-exposed flies. In silico modeling analysis revealed that the active ingredients of Spectracide® (atrazine, diquat dibromide, fluazifop-p-butyl, and dicamba) have significant binding affinity to the active site of CR enzyme, with atrazine having comparatively greater affinity. Our results suggest a mechanism by which ingredients in Spectracide® induce oxidative damage by competitive binding to the active site of a protective enzyme and impair its ability to prevent damage to proteins thereby leading to deficits in locomotor behavior in Drosophila.

Biology Department Stillman College Tuscaloosa AL 35404 USA

Biology Department Stillman College Tuscaloosa AL 35404 USA; Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL 35487 USA

Department of Biochemistry Molecular Biology Entomology and Plant Pathology Mississippi State University MS 39762 USA

Department of Biochemistry Molecular Biology Entomology and Plant Pathology Mississippi State University MS 39762 USA; Institute of Entomology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences Branišovská 31 370 05 České Budĕjovice Czech Republic

Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL 35487 USA

Department of Microbiology West Bengal State University Barasat Kolkata 126 India

Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering Mayo Clinic School of Medicine Mayo Clinic Rochester MN USA

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