Impact of Natural Progesterone on Courtship, Anxiety, and Fertility in Drosophila melanogaster
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Authors
Fihre, Katharina
DeBowes, Laura
Date of Issue
2025-04-25
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Subject Keywords
Other Titles
Abstract
Progesterone is an endogenous steroid hormone secreted from the adrenal glands and gonads. It is known to regulate fertility pathways and stress responses in both humans and Drosophila melanogaster. Natural progesterone supplements are marketed to provide extra progesterone to the human body to help regulate fertility, cyclical difficulties, and mood swings. In this research, we tested the effects of Proov Balancing Oil Restorative Blend, which is marketed as a natural source of progesterone, on courtship, anxiety, and fertility in the model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. Specifically, we sought to determine the effects of Proov on expression of the HR39 and ftz-f1 genes, which both code for progesterone receptors and regulate gonadal secretions, and associated behaviors. It was hypothesized that exposure to Proov would upregulate the expression of HR39 and ftz-f1 in D. melanogaster, resulting in a reduction in anxiety-related behaviors, as well as an increase in rates of courtship behaviors and offspring production. To test our hypothesis, D. melanogaster were exposed to Proov through food sources before being subjected to gene expression analysis, via RT-qPCR, along with courtship and anxiety-related behavioral assays. Additionally, the larvae produced by adult flies that were treated with Proov and the corresponding control larvae were allowed to hatch in order to determine reproductive rates. The results of our study indicate that Proov did not significantly impact expression of HR39 and ftz-f1 and it also did not affect courtship, reproductive, and anxiety-related behaviors.